Rain
by ii-Phoenix-ii
Summary: Kenny dredges up all the decency he can manage and uses his connections to get Levi citizenship aboveground, abandoning him at an orphanage in hopes of a better life.
1. Chance

**Chapter 1: Chance**

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin

**Summary:** Kenny dredges up all the decency he can manage and uses his connections to get Levi citizenship aboveground, abandoning him at an orphanage in hopes of a better life.

_Some of the characters' ages are different from canon._

* * *

He was a scrawny little thing.

Bony with long ratty hair and sunken eyes that held no hope for the future.

Just waiting to die like the dried-up carcass that was his mother.

"Gotta name?"

"Levi," the boy replied in a quiet, raspy voice. "Just Levi."

Kenny leaned back against the wall across from the boy, sliding down, sitting with his long legs stretched out in front of him. "Just Levi, huh? I get that, Kuchel. No reason in giving him your name," he mumbled to himself. It carried a death sentence, the name Ackerman.

Uri had sworn to him to end the persecution of the Ackerman family and had followed through on that promise. A few months had passed since Kenny had attempted to assassinate the king. Now he was back in the Underground City to check in on Kuchel. It had taken him a long time to track her down after he finally decided to find his long lost sister, whom he hadn't seen since they were kids. She had been smart to live under a pseudonym, Olympia. Made her hard to track.

But Kenny had not expected her to have given birth.

His sister kept Levi so well hidden he hadn't even known the boy existed until just then. Clearly Kuchel had taken extreme measures to keep the existence of her son a secret. From the looks of it, the boy hadn't seen the light of day in a while. With his dead gaze and dirty, white nightgown frayed at the edges, he almost looked like a ghost.

"I'm Kenny," he introduced himself, head down, masking his expression. "Just Kenny."

There was no point in getting close to the boy, telling him they were blood if Levi didn't have the strength to make it. Additionally, while he wasn't so heartless to leave the last part of his sister, this runt of a boy, to die, he wasn't fit to be a parent either. _Better this way_, he thought impassively. This way he wouldn't be a disappointment to Levi as a father-figure because that was never the nature of their relationship. It lessened his responsibility to the brat.

At that moment, Kenny decided to take Levi in, be his mentor instead of family, teach him how to survive, how to protect himself, how to be strong.

That was all the responsibility he would allow himself to the boy.

"Let's go, brat." Kenny grabbed his bag and stood.

"What about Mother?"

"She's dead. It's just an empty, dried-up sack of flesh and bones now." Kenny didn't wait to see if Levi would follow. If he didn't have the will to keep moving, there was nothing Kenny could do. Halfway down the cramped hallway, he heard timid footsteps behind him. When Kenny reached the pimp downstairs, he tossed some coins the man's way. "For the burial."

The bald man missing most of his teeth spluttered something at him. Kenny ignored him and kept walking, leaving the rundown brothel behind with Levi stumbling after him.

Instead of heading to one of his many hideouts around the Underground, Kenny decided to first make a stop at a tavern. He needed a drink. A glance over his shoulder revealed Levi following close by, head darting around. It must have been one of the few times that Levi had left the brothel. _Right. The brat's probably starved too_. Yet another reason why he wasn't fit to be any sort of parent. Only a few minutes in and he'd already forgotten the boy was with him, too lost in his own thoughts.

Kenny watched, mouth hanging slightly open as Levi tore into the loaves of bread. The other patrons also stared. Kenny grunted. "What're you, an animal? Slow down." He wasn't one for table manners and etiquette, but even he didn't attack his food like some rabid dog.

The boy regarded him with suspicion. Almost as if he expected Kenny to snatch the food out of his hands and he needed to get it into his belly as soon as he could.

Something akin to pity welled up in his chest. Kenny took a swig of his beer. "I'll have to teach ya some manners. Among other things."

"Other things?" Levi repeated, eating only a little more like a human.

* * *

Two weeks had passed since Kenny took his nephew in. Levi was fascinated by the world around him. But he wasn't excited about it, didn't want to explore it like Kenny had expected a seven-year-old like him would want to. Rather, Levi was more reserved, he preferred to observe how things worked before he attempted to interact with his new environment. Kenny was pleased. The boy was young but not foolish. His adverse circumstances had forced him to mature quickly. In all honestly, Kenny was glad for it. He wouldn't have known what to do with a needy, whiny brat.

Levi never sought comfort from him. Whether it was due to his circumspect nature or if he simply understood there would be no paternal care to be found, Kenny didn't know or care. He was just glad Levi didn't cling to him and want him to take care of him and coddle him.

The first thing he had taught the boy was how to grip a knife.

Levi held up the old knife, studying it, tiny fingers barely wrapping around the circular, wooden handle.

"Know how to use it?" Kenny asked, sitting on a barrel behind the rundown apartment building they currently lived in.

"Stick 'em with the pointy end."

Kenny snorted.

Levi tested the weight, loosening and tightening his grip.

"Where would ya stick 'em with the pointy end?"

He shrugged his skinny little shoulders. "Stomach?"

Kenny hopped off the barrel and sauntered over, hands still in his pockets. "Show me." Levi shot him a skeptical look. "C'mon, brat." Levi ran as fast as his stick-like legs would allow. He was eating better than he ever had. But he was still very thin. Smaller than a boy his age should be by Kenny's estimate. Not that he knew much about that sort of thing. It was easy to rip the knife from him. Like taking candy from a baby. Almost literally. "You're grippin' it too loosely." He flipped the old blade, holding it handle out.

"Hmph." Levi snatched it back, appearing mildly irritated.

"Try again."

Once again, Kenny was able to steal the knife easily.

"Now you're grippin' it too tight."

Levi huffed, glaring.

"Do it again."

For hours he trained the boy, taking a break once for lunch and again to take a leak.

* * *

Kenny grumbled in irritation at the growing number of men following him. Even Levi had taken notice. Although he didn't think they were going for subtlety. His heartbeat started to pick in anticipation. He always enjoyed cracking skulls. Particularly those of idiots who thought they could jump him, take out the infamous killer who had slaughtered over a hundred MPs, and make a name for themselves. At least this group was semi-smart. It offended him when they only came in a group of three or four. As if that would be enough to defeat him.

Levi seemed to sense the change in the atmosphere and wisely moved off to the side. _The boy was born with good instincts, _he thought as one of the dumb shits began spewing bravado.

"Alright, brat," he said to Levi, "lemme show ya how ta say hello." Kenny grinned, cracking his knuckles. "It's important ta get along with people, ya know."

It was almost too easy. The men were uncoordinated, slow, and lacking in imagination. Fists flew and bones were shattered. Kenny laughed, breaking one's nose gleefully then dodging a bald one charging at him, grabbing his arm and twisting it completely behind his back, leaving him howling on the ground. The leader of the group stumbled back, knees shaking as Kenny stalked toward him. Summoning up the last of his courage, he ran at Kenny. Kenny lifted his leg, kneeing him in the gut, causing spittle to fly out, then brought his elbow down on the back of his head. "What's the matter? Weren't ya gonna kill the infamous Ripper?" Kenny shook the man the barely conscious man by the collar.

"Can we go home now?" Levi asked quietly, standing among the beaten men, bored.

Kenny dropped the thug. "Let's go." They returned to the apartment and he sent Levi off to practice his knife skills so he could have a couple of hours to himself.

When the boy returned, he froze. "Where are you going?" Levi stood at the end of the moth-eaten sofa near the door, eyes locked in on the black bag.

Kenny closed it, holding it over his shoulder. "Gotta take care of some business." He had told Uri he would be gone for a month, maybe more. It was time to return. For the most part, being Uri's righthand man allowed him to move around freely but he still needed to check in regularly in person. "I'll be back in a week. If ya get hungry, I've paid the tavern owners."

* * *

"You're back." There was no longer an odd note to Levi's voice like he was surprised Kenny had returned.

Over the year his nephew had grown used to him skipping out, sometimes weeks at a time, but he always returned. Kenny grunted, eyeing Levi's face. His cheeks were fuller, still a little hollow but he had lost the gaunt look overall. He was wearing a brown shirt and dark pants, which fit better and didn't hang off his frame as the nightgown had. "I'm hungry. Let's go eat."

Levi followed without a word, carrying his knife.

The tavern owners greeted them warmly. Kenny took the chance to unwind, drinking and trading wisecracks with another patron. He laughed loudly, an arm around the man's shoulders, clinking mugs with him. The man challenged him to a drinking contest.

An hour later, he and Levi left the tavern, his pocket full of cash. "That's how ya swing a deal. Let the other guy get cocky and think ya got no chance." It wasn't that he needed the money. When you served the king, money was not something to worry about. But Kenny liked to gamble.

"Mmm," was all Levi had to say.

He knew Levi had taken in every word, though. Rarely did he have to repeat himself. Levi was a fast learner and often picked up the lessons on the first try, almost never making the same mistake twice.

"Do you have to leave again?" Levi asked him a week later. "You were just gone for two weeks."

Kenny stepped out of his room, bag slung over his shoulder. He gave his usual reply: "I have some business to take care of."

"When will you be back?"

"Maybe three weeks."

"Okay." Levi turned back to his knife, cleaning it with an old rag.

* * *

"How is the boy doing?" Uri inquired as he brushed his horse.

Kenny lounged on a bale of hay outside the stables on the Reiss family estate. He had just finished reporting the task Uri had assigned him. His friend—it still struck Kenny as odd that he considered someone a friend—had brought up Levi out of nowhere. Uri knew of his nephew but had never asked about him before, leaving Kenny's personal life untouched.

Kenny was tempted to ask they drop the subject. The king would accept it and move on. But he saw no harm in answering. "He's a survivor."

Uri paused briefly to smile at him. "Coming from you, that's a compliment. Have you told him you're his uncle?"

"No. I told ya, there ain't no point in it."

"What would your sister think of that?"

Kenny snorted. "She'd be thrilled. If the boy finds out I'm blood, he might try'n become more like me. Don't think she'd want that." He thought that was the end of that and opened his mouth to change the subject when Uri spoke again.

"Then should you really...'teach him the ways of the world?'" That was the reply Kenny had given him when Uri had wondered what he intended to do with his sister's son.

"Whatcha mean?"

Uri turned away from his horse to face him, eyes full of compassion. "Should you really be teaching your nephew the things you've told me you've been teaching him?"

"The strong swallow the weak in this world." Thanks to him, Levi would make it. Once he was capable of holding his own, not needing Kenny's protection, he would leave and let Levi live his own life, make his own decisions. It was how he would show he cared. He explained it to Uri, expecting him to agree that what he was doing was good and kind.

But Uri shook his head. "He might be able to survive, but what kind of life will he have if the only language he speaks, the only life he knows, is of bloodshed and violence and death? Your sister wouldn't want that. It's no way to raise a child."

Kenny was stunned. He had only done what he had thought was best for Levi. Thought that he was being compassionate by taking Levi in and doing him a huge favor and teaching him. It was what he would have wanted as a kid, for someone to teach him the ways of the world. How to survive. How to be strong. Perhaps his was not the wisest way of going about it, considering he was something of an abnormality, but he had never imagined it was as bad as Uri was implying. _But if Uri thinks otherwise..._

Uri started to backtrack. "I'm sure you're training him to be strong and smart—"

"Let's just forget this, alright?" Knowing what he truly thought now, Kenny didn't want Uri to take back what he said in some effort to spare his feelings or some shit.

"Very well, friend."

His thoughts turned the entire way back to the Underground. Uri was kind and compassionate, something Kenny strived to be deep down. And if he thought the way Kenny was raising Levi was not the best, he had to be right. _Maybe I'm not the best choice to guide him._ But he would not stop what he had already started. His method might not be the best suited for a child, but he would ensure Levi was fully capable of handling anything on his own once Kenny was done teaching him.

* * *

Over the years, Uri's words continued to fester in the back of Kenny's mind. Every time he saw the violence grow in Levi, his friend's words would spring up from his subconscious and make him feel almost uncomfortable. Sometimes even Kuchel's naive face would appear in his head. He had almost forgotten what she looked like. But Levi took completely after his mother and it brought back memories of his dead sister that had been long buried. She would be devastated at what he was turning her son into.

_I'm making him strong_, he told himself. Kenny was pulled out of his thoughts when he saw a crowd had gathered near his apartment. Levi was beating up a boy more than twice his size. Proud was what he should have felt. And relieved that his duty to the boy was almost finished. It would only take a couple of years more now before he could leave without any guilt. The brat was becoming more capable of surviving this harsh world by himself.

But Uri's words and Kuchel's face haunted him instead.

Knife in hand, droplets of blood on his clothes, Levi was a familiar image as he yelled at the barely conscious boy, shaking him by the collar.

His thoughts suddenly cleared and he knew what he had to do. Kenny turned and walked away.

* * *

Hearing the door open, Kenny quickly zipped up the bag.

"Where did you go?" Levi stared at him, leaning on the arm of the sofa. He had never before questioned him about where he would run off to over the years. Levi's eyes went to the bag. "Are you leaving again?"

"We are."

He perked up at that. "Where are we going?"

Kenny tossed him the brown bag. "Carry that."

He looked like he wanted to ask more questions but refrained. "Why do I have to carry your shit?" Levi grumbled under his breath but not quiet enough.

Kenny could tell the boy's curiosity was growing as they walked. Both kept silent. Levi finally spoke up when they neared the gate leading aboveground. "Are we going to the surface?" There was a note of excitement in his voice. "Is that where you always disappear off to?"

Using his tall frame to block Levi's view—although Levi was more focused on the long stairs leading up to the surface to care—Kenny showed the documents to the guards. They barely checked them, used to him coming and going over the years, and cowed due to his reputation, which pleased him.

"Where did you get the money to buy us passes?" Levi questioned as they climbed the stairs.

"I have a friend with far-reaching connections," Kenny replied carefully, not exactly answering his question. "He got me everythin' I needed."

Levi snorted, "You have a friend?"

As they reached the top, they could see sunlight from the corner hitting the platform.

His hat protected Kenny from the worst of it, eyes adjusting quickly to the intense sunlight. Levi pulled up the hood of his jacket, rubbing his eyes, likely wet from pain. Without speaking, Kenny gave him a little time to adjust before climbing the stairs leading up into the brightness, hearing Levi follow slowly.

The air was clean and fresh, the sun warm and welcoming. The sounds of the city surrounded them as they walked. Kenny didn't comment as the thirteen-year-old edged closer to him, studying everything around him in fascination. His attention was constantly pulled by this thing or that and he didn't pay any mind to where they were going. That was good.

"It's so big," Levi marveled, staring up at the sky as he walked. It wasn't until they were near the gate that he finally snapped out of his awe. "Where are we going?"

"Our destination is a city called Trost." Kenny did not feel comfortable leaving Levi inside Wall Sina. Trost was a bustling city and it was safe, just far enough from the capital and still part of the interior.

"When do we have to get back?"

"Don't worry about that."

Levi shrugged, happy enough observing his surroundings and letting Kenny deal with everything else.

Kenny talked to a merchant, handing him some coins in exchange for a ride to Trost's market. The cart was loaded with barrels and he and Levi sat at the edge, their feet dangling as the cart moved. The soldiers at the gate didn't really bother inspecting their documents too deeply, simply waving them through after a quick check. The only reason they would be pulled to the side was if they looked suspicious. Generally, it was easier exiting the interior than it was entering it. Not that their documents were anything but perfect.

Kenny hopped off the cart once they reached their destination, Levi following suit. Delicious scents filled the air from the various bakeries and shops. Children ran around, playing and screaming. Stall owners tried to sell their goods to the men and women walking by. The color and the joy in the air was a total contrast to the dark and grim Underground City.

"Is this it?" Levi eyed the two-story building.

Kenny grunted. He led them in. A woman in her fifties approached him. She had a kind smile on her face as she greeted them. "I'm here to drop him off," Kenny announced, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. Levi straightened at his words.

"I see. Ms. Biel, show him to his bed," the matron said to a woman with a blond bun.

"Yes, ma'am."

Levi shot Kenny a questioning look. "Go on. You'll be fine," Kenny said. When Levi lifted the bag to him, Kenny shook his head. "That's yours."

"Oh." He stared at it then followed the blonde-haired woman.

Kenny watched them go before pulling out the paperwork. "Here," he said, and handed the woman Levi's birth certificate and proof of citizenship. They were legitimate, not forgeries. Upon his request Uri had taken care of the documentation, no questions asked.

"We'll take good care of him," she promised him.

Rose Heart Orphanage received decent patronage from local nobles and the town's Merchant Association. And it wasn't overflowing with brats. _Here at least he'll have a chance_, Kenny thought as he left.

* * *

**_Please Review~_**


	2. The Orphanage

**Chapter 2: The Orphanage **

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin

**Previously**: After training him for a few years, Kenny takes Levi to the surface and abandons him at an orphanage in Trost.

* * *

Something nagged at Levi the entire day. Even as he spent the day exploring the market, filching an apple once out of habit, he felt it at the back of his head that something was off.

Ms. Biel had told him to return by seven for dinner. The blonde-haired woman had shown him to his bed and promised to stitch his name into his clothes to ensure none of his roommates would steal anything. His personal effects were limited to three pairs of pants, one of which he was wearing, four shirts, two jackets, and several pairs of socks plus one pair of shoes. The only objects he possessed he carried with him: a lock-picking kit and his switchblade, the latter which Kenny gave him almost three weeks after his twelfth birthday. A late present but a present nonetheless.

It was an enjoyable day. He hoped whatever business Kenny was dealing with would take a while. Levi wanted to stay aboveground for as long as possible. He loved the air there. It smelled so good and sweet and clean. And the sun felt wonderfully warm on his skin. It was almost like a gentle hug. Crowds he wasn't that fond of, but it wasn't too bad. _The people here are so lucky to be able to live and breathe up here for free_, he thought. And the streets and buildings were so well maintained. Not as clean as he would have liked, but a massive improvement over the rundown and filthy Underground City.

Still, as wonderful as the surface was, something bothered him.

Levi twisted and turned in his bed that night.

Pushing all thoughts out of his head, he settled down, ignoring the breathing of the other boys in the room. He couldn't pinpoint the source of his anxiety. Only that he knew something wasn't right and he hadn't figured out what it was.

Levi's eyes opened with a start, heart-thumping anxiously as the realization came to him. Kenny always kept his word and came back when he said he would.

But this time...this time he had skipped out without telling Levi how long he would be gone.

The boy wracked his brain but he couldn't his mentor mentioning anything about how long he'd be gone and when he would return. _I must have forgotten_, he decided. Kenny must have mentioned it but he had been too busy gawking at his new surroundings and missed it.

Levi didn't really believe it even as he told himself that.

* * *

The Underground did not have orphanages. Parentless children lived and died on the streets, ignored and invisible. There was no institution to protect them and take care of them. Unless they were strong enough to pull themselves up or if they were recruited in a gang, orphans died on the streets. Very few were lucky as Levi had been to have someone step in.

So it had not come to Levi until morning that Kenny had dumped him at Rose Heart Orphanage, stupidly assuming Kenny only left him at this place to stay while he did whatever it was he did on his trips.

Levi sat by himself at a table in the corner of the mess hall, light pouring through the big windows. The other children sat with their friends, talking and eating, not noticing his quiet presence. Levi had grabbed dinner quickly the previous night, leaving the place again to explore the market and coming back for bedtime, thus managing to avoid being forced to interact with the other children. In the morning, he had woken before the five other boys he shared a room with and come to the mess hall for breakfast.

Levi was never one to refuse food, but he couldn't bring himself to pick up the spoon and take a bite of the oatmeal. It was easy to once he realized what little he knew about food security considering his new situation.

Because Kenny was gone.

Had abandoned him in this place without so much as a goodbye or a warning. And the worry about his next meal returned, not full force, but just enough to ensure he didn't miss a meal.

Thoughts of his mentor made him brood as he ate the oatmeal, barely tasting it. Where did Kenny go? Why had he left him? Was he ever coming back? Had Levi done something to displease him?

His brooding was interrupted by a round-faced boy with curly brown hair. "Who're you? Are you new?"

Levi froze, not wanting to answer. Then he realized he wasn't going anywhere. The orphanage was his home now. He knew Kenny wasn't coming back for him. A vulnerable part of him still held hope he would. Levi would almost rather live in the Underground with Kenny than aboveground by himself.

As much as he loved the environment, it was unfamiliar, and he was alone. It scared him. Never had he thought he would ever miss the Underground if he managed to find a way to escape it. But as dangerous and hideous and hopeless as the place had been, at least he hadn't been by himself there. He knew his neighbors, the shopkeepers, the tavern owners. He knew the streets and the unspoken rules. He knew how to live well there. It was familiar and Kenny had taught him how to survive it.

"I'm Darren," the boy continued, oblivious to Levi's silence.

Darren kept chattering but Levi ignored him.

The boy took a while to notice Levi wasn't paying attention. "Hey," he said a little more loudly, finally catching his attention. "Where are you from?"

"The Underground," Levi answered without thinking.

Darren's eyes widened. "I've heard of that place! My mom used to say it was a bad place full of criminals and bad people."

Levi's shoulders went up defensively, taking it as a personal attack. "If you're here then your mother must be dead," he retorted cruelly, feeling both gleeful and awful at the pain on Darren's face, his lips wobbling. "Or maybe she just hated you and left you here."

The boy quickly ran off.

Levi shoved the rest of the oatmeal into his mouth and left.

He let his feet lead him through the market, with no destination in mind. Gray eyes constantly followed parents walking around holding their children's hands or buying them toys and treats. Jealously and longing flared in his chest. The more time he spent there, seeing what he could never have, the more miserable he felt.

Head down, he trudged back to the orphanage. Not paying attention to where he was going, he bumped into a girl on his way back to his room.

"I'm—"

"Watch it," Levi snapped at her, causing her to recoil. If someone bumped you in the Underground, it was a sign of disrespect. It meant the asshole was looking for trouble. Or trying to con you, claiming injury and demanding restitution.

The girl flinched away from him. Two other kids who were in the hallway quickly moved out of his way as he passed by, shooting him nervous looks.

* * *

"Hello, Levi. What're you doing here?"

Lying on his side, Levi turned his head to see Ms. Biel enter the room, holding his folded clothes. He sat up.

"It's such a lovely day. Why don't you go play outside? Meet the other children and make friends?" Ms. Biel suggested.

Levi shrugged. "Don't feel like it," he mumbled. There was an area behind the orphanage for the kids to play in. Through the windows in the room, he spotted them playing ball and tag and other games he didn't know the names and rules to. There were even some swings. Levi wanted to be by himself. There was a little fear in his heart that if he accepted this place and grew comfortable there, then his stay would be permeant and it meant Kenny wouldn't ever come back. He knew it was dumb but he couldn't help it.

"I've got your clothes here." She pulled out a small chest from under his bed and stored his clothes there.

As she stood to leave, Levi stopped her with a question. "Did he say anything? The man who came with me. Kenny."

"I don't believe so. He only dropped you off. I wouldn't know, though. He talked to the matron while I showed you to the room."

That dashed Levi's hope maybe his mentor had told the caretakers when he would be back, just forgetting to inform him. So when Kenny came to pick him up, Levi would have called him a forgetful old man, causing them to start bickering as they went back home. Everything would have been okay.

Laughter and shouts of fun and excitement continued to come from outside. Levi wished they would shut up. He lay back down, shoving the pillow over his head. What did they have to be so happy about? Their parents were dead or had dumped them at the orphanage, either unable or unwilling to take care of them any longer. They shouldn't be laughing and having fun.

Sometimes he wished they would invite him to join their fun and games. Other times he couldn't stand them and glared at anyone who came too close.

How to make friends was not on the list of things Kenny had taught him.

Levi had no idea how to befriend people. Especially those his own age. It didn't help he had no idea how to relate to them. Even if they all shared one thing in common, that they were all orphans, it wasn't enough to overcome the other differences. Having been born and raised aboveground, they all knew the way it worked up there and how to get along with each other. Levi didn't know how to do that and often spent more time watching them than interacting with them.

* * *

Over a week passed and Kenny did not return.

Despite knowing it wouldn't happen, Levi's hopes were dashed every day, waiting for his mentor's lanky frame to fill the doorway, making him feel dumb for thinking Kenny had abandoned him there. Every time he was out in the market and saw a tall man in a hat his hopes would rise, only to fall in disappointment when it turned out to be some stranger.

As he continued to still latch on to the hope of Kenny's return—the longest Kenny had ever been away at a time was just over three weeks so Levi was anchored to that number—his reputation among the other children at the orphanage fell. Many of them interpreted his social ineptitude for hostility. That he never smiled and had a grim countenance didn't help matters one bit. Neither was the fact that his first few interactions with the children was making Darren cry and scaring those three in the hallway by barking and glaring at them.

The other kids were too scared to invite him to play and he was too intimidated to approach them himself. The ball incident that happened two days later sealed Levi's fate as an outcast.

Nearly two weeks after coming to the orphanage and still avoiding the other kids, he finally went to the playground in the back. It was more as a dare to himself, annoyed that he was being such a chicken.

No one really noticed him at first, too busy in their own games. He felt out of place and stupid and wanted to run back inside. He stayed rooted in his spot, though, caught between his nervousness at feeling out of place and his stubbornness not to look like a scaredy-cat even to himself.

That was when the brown ball rolled over to him, bumping and stopping by his foot. Some of them watched him carefully to see what he would do while the others, caught up in the thrill of the game, yelled to kick it back. From his observation, he knew the goal was to kick the ball into the net with the kid there trying to block it.

"Throw it over here!"

"Kick it as hard as you can!"

Wanting to impress them and eager to prove himself—not that he would admit it—Levi decided to take the shot. If he scored, maybe they'd invite him to play. Didn't mean he would accept, of course. But he might.

The ball caught the boy right in the chest.

Levi's stomach fell at the cracking sound when the boy was sent flying back, taking the net down with him.

Everything went still around him for a heart-stopping second.

Then the screams began. They rushed toward the net, many shooting him terrified looks as they passed him by. Instincts screamed at him to run, to not stay around and get caught. Levi bolted.

Fear made his breathing quicken and the world blurred around him as he ran without seeing where he was going.

He stopped abruptly, realizing he had nowhere to run _to_. He considered trying to find his way back to the Underground City. But he did not want to return to that miserable existence alone, especially after having grown used to the sunshine and the air and the general happy atmosphere. And a scared, childish part of him was still hopeful Kenny would return. What if Kenny couldn't find him because he had run away?

With his head hanging low, Levi returned to the orphanage with leaden feet. The place was in a flurry. One of the adults noticed him and dragged him to the matron's office.

The elderly woman was saying something but he barely heard her. She didn't yell at him and let him go minutes later so he thought he probably wasn't in too much trouble.

No one spoke to him or approached him after that. From what he'd picked up from eavesdropping on them, the other children either feared him or resented him. Most just preferred to pretend he didn't exist.

Unable to hang around them all day after that incident, he started exploring the town instead, familiarizing himself with the layout. The stall owners here weren't as alert as the ones in the Underground. They were soft. Didn't keep an eye out for street rats looking to filch their products like the Underground ones did. So they never saw him take a piece of candy here and a toy there. He was always smart to eat the stolen goods far away and smuggled the toys under his clothes, stashing them at the bottom of his trunk.

When four weeks passed and Kenny did not appear, Levi let go of his hopes, stubbornly refusing to cry himself to sleep that night, though he came very close a few times.

* * *

"Thank you, Levi. You didn't have to do this. You could be out having fun."

Levi wanted to tell her this was fun for him. Ms. Biel was the only person he liked at the orphanage. She was nice and didn't judge him like the other adults. Absolutely none of the kids liked him and the adults assumed it was due to his bad attitude. Otherwise he would have at least one friend, he'd heard one of them say. His use of crude language they also disapproved of and Levi had quickly learned to emulate their way of speaking. Darren's reaction was etched into his memory. The little crybaby had spread the word about his background and Levi did everything possible to distance himself from that image. He was stuck at the orphanage now until he was either adopted—impossible—or old enough to leave, and he did not want to be seen as Underground trash until that day came.

"It's okay. I like cleaning," he said to Ms. Biel, mopping the floor.

"You are such a good, helpful boy."

After he helped her store the mops and bucket away, he turned to leave, mentally picking which candy shop he wanted to visit today. He was always careful to hit different ones and only take a piece or two so it wouldn't be noticed. He had also made a mental note not to return to that shop for a while, lest he be recognized and the owner becomes suspicious of a kid coming in but never buying any candy.

"Hold on, Levi." Ms. Biel stopped him. "Are you going to meet your friends now?"

He didn't have the heart to tell her that she was wrong. That he was a friendless loser. He wasn't off playing with the neighborhood kids he'd met in the market like she thought, but wandering around stealing from people. The thought of her disapproval at that made him feel guilty. "I want to go explore," he said truthfully.

"Maybe later. Go to the mess hall first. Don't you remember? The doctors are coming today. You're the most behind on vaccines. Since we don't have any medical records for you at all it's especially important you're there."

Four stations had been set up in the mess hall. Two women and two men were checking the children. They also cleaned the children's shoulders before injecting them. Levi cringed. Being poked and prodded wasn't a comfortable thought for him. A few of the kids cried when they were given an injection. Even if he didn't like it, Levi thought, he wouldn't be a wimp like them.

When his turn came, he sat on the stool and did what the man said. It wasn't too bad. Everything was going fine. His heart and breathing and eyes and ears and all that were checked. Then came the needle. Or _needles_.

"Looks like you need to be caught up," the doctor said, filling his medical card.

Levi tensed his shoulders, then forced himself to relax. Kenny didn't teach him to be a chicken about injections.

"Luckily for you, we came prepared."

_Real lucky me_, he thought sourly. Levi braced himself. It wasn't so bad when the needle went in. Those other kids were so weak-willed. He almost yelped at the pain that came next, more so out of surprise than actually being bothered by it. One more vaccine was then injected into his left shoulder.

"You are such a brave boy."

Levi rolled his eyes but the doctor missed it, preparing the third needle.

"Maybe you'll grow up to become a soldier," the doctor went on, smiling. "How about that?" Levi made a noncommittal noise. "It's important to get your shots in now. The military requires it. They do give them for free to any new trainees who want to join if they don't have all their shots yet. Course it hurts more then so best to get them out of the way now when you're young."

Two injections went into his right shoulder as the man talked. Levi wondered if the excessive chatting was supposed to help distract him from the pain. Not that he needed it. He was brave enough to take it.

"Your arms might hurt. It's worth not catching a disease, though. But if the pain is too much, we've told the caretakers to give you something for it so just ask one of them."

Levi nodded mutely, not quite listening, thinking instead about his mother's corpse. Disease had taken her, slowing eating away at her until she was nothing but a lifeless husk.

He left the stool and wandered off once the doctor was finished with him. It wasn't often that he thought about her. Sometimes when he thought about his mother's face, he questioned himself. Whether it really was her face or if he was remembering it wrong. Sadness began to seep in as it always did when he thought about her. No matter how much he tried to shake it off, he couldn't. This was why he refused to think about her. With Kenny, at least he felt resentment and anger along with loneliness. Those he could deal with. The dull ache his mother's absence caused was unbearable.

Something then came along that successfully distracted him. Or rather, someone.

The boy across from him froze.

Levi quickly averted his gaze and walked past Finn. They had been avoiding each other since he incident when he broke Finn's ribs. He had tried to apologize once. But Finn became scared and tried to flee. Levi attempted to stop him to explain it was an accident. That he hadn't meant to hurt him. Only thing Finn's friends saw, though, was him bullying the poor, sobbing boy and complained about him to the matron, getting him in trouble. Since then he'd thought it best to just pretend the other boy didn't exist.

There was no privacy at the orphanage, so Levi had found little nooks and crannies and other spots around town he could enjoy being alone whenever he wanted privacy. He went to his bed to grab a coat from his trunk, needing a quiet walk around the market. That always seemed to make him feel better. The weather was turning cold as winter approached. The coat was second-hand, a donation item. He longed to own something new but he would take what he could get. Ms. Biel had stitched the same thing into its collar she had into his other clothes: "Levi A."

At first, he had wondered what the A stood for. Then he figured it was because he had no last name. If another Levi came to the orphanage, his clothes would probably have "Levi B." stitched into them so they could tell the difference.

Outside, the air was frigid. He hoped it would snow. Levi had heard about the pretty white fluff but never seen it himself. As he started down the street, his thoughts turned to the ball incident, leading him to remember something his mentor had mentioned once to him.

_"__You're a scrawny little brat, but yer strong now," Kenny said, watching him closely. "Somethin' happen while I was gone? Tell me, ye ever felt a rush of power? And suddenly, it was like ya knew exactly what ta do?"_

_Levi nodded. _

_"__It had happened to me once, too." _

Secretly he had felt proud at that moment. He had followed his mentor's teachings and become strong, experiencing something the older man also had. Inadvertently thinking about that nowadays turned his thoughts to Finn. He winced. Kenny had taught him not to be afraid of a fight. If some dumbass came looking to brawl, Levi wouldn't hesitate to put him in his place. But he didn't enjoy needlessly hurting innocent people that had done him no wrong. It twisted up his gut uncomfortably.

With a shake of his head, he tried to put all thoughts of his mentor and Finn and his mother out of his head. As he wandered around the market, the doctor's words about the military came back to him. Not many paths were open to an orphan like him. Much as he didn't like thinking about it, he couldn't stay at the orphanage forever. The lucky kids either got adopted or found a trade they could excel at, becoming apprentices. Some found other jobs but many of the kids joined the military. It was the popular route in general. His only other option was to become a criminal. That held no security to him and frankly, it didn't appeal to him.

_The military, huh? _Levi stopped to watch a group of Garrison soldiers walking by. Well, he still had years to come to a final decision.

* * *

**_Please Review~ _**


	3. Rascal

**Chapter 3: Rascal **

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin

**Previously**: Levi eventually resigns to being abandoned. He accidentally injuries a boy, distancing himself further from the other kids. He considers going the military route.

_Levi will be taller since factors such as lack of food and high stress won't stunt his growth. He'll also get a lot of exercise and sleep in the Training Corps. I'm picturing him around 5'8" max. Also, Petra won't be showing up until Ch.5. Gotta be patient a little longer :)_

* * *

Levi angrily shoved his hair out of his face. As he neared the orphanage, he all but broke out into a run. It didn't take him long to find what he was looking for. He took the scissors and went to the boys' showers. Grabbing a bunch of his long hair, he snipped it off. Much of his long strands of hair had been hacked off before he was interrupted.

Levi?" Ms. Biel called out, knocking on the door. "Can I come in?"

No other boys were in there so he let her into the large bathroom.

"What are you... Why are you cutting your hair yourself?" She knelt before him, taking the scissors from him.

"They're too long and stupid and get in my face," he grumbled, head down.

It wasn't the entire truth. Six months had passed since he was abandoned at the orphanage. It was a lonely half a year filled with him ignoring the other children and being ignored by them in turn. Most of the neighborhood kids were either too involved with each other to approach him or looked down on him for being an orphan. The latter had learned quickly not to mock him for it.

For the first time though, an outspoken neighborhood kid, part of a group of children Levi often saw running around, had called him over, asking if he wanted to fill in the spot of a girl who had moved away recently, so their numbers could be even again.

Levi had been thrilled.

But then a boy started complaining he was creepy looking. The girl next to him said she didn't want him on the team either. And some mean-faced girl had then tried to pull his hair, saying something rude and he had shoved her, knocking her down. The group had told him to leave if he was going to pick fights.

"It gets in the way," Levi said, scowling at his feet.

"You should have just told me and I would have cut it for you. Now you've made a bit of a mess." She ran her fingers through his hair, checking his hack job. "But I think I can fix this. C'mon, let's clean up the hair on the floor first, then I'll see what I can do."

Levi sat in a chair, a towel wrapped around him. He watched the clumps of black hair fall to the floor, wishing he'd cut it sooner.

Eyes closed, he enjoyed the touch. While he didn't like people getting close to him, he liked it when Ms. Biel patted his head or pinched his cheeks despite the fact he would pretend it was annoying and complain about it. He wondered how nice it would feel to get a hug. He'd forgotten what that felt like.

"Here we go," she said, combing his hair. "We can just part it in the middle here." He felt her comb half his hair one side and half the other. "There. Done." She fished out a small mirror and gave it to him. "Take a look."

He observed his reflection curiously. He had to admit it looked better than his previous hairstyle, which was essentially letting his hair fall loose.

"I feel like I can finally see your face!"

It was true. Without the long bangs falling into his eyes, more of his face was visible and hopefully, it made him less creepy looking. Maybe it would make him more approachable.

* * *

The dark gray sky began to weep, causing the people underneath it to scramble for shelter. Rain had been a novelty the first few times he experienced it. Levi had stood and let the cool droplets soak him, closing his eyes and enjoying how it felt. He loved the smell afterward, too. It was strangely clean and good and relaxing. Now used to the cool showers, rain had lost its appeal and Levi hurried to find a place to hide.

In an alleyway to his left, there was a backdoor to a bakery. Above the door was a little cover and Levi went for it to keep out of the rain until it became less intense. When he reached there, a scruffy brown dog also got there at the same time. The animal froze and stared at him before deciding he wasn't a threat and sitting next to his feet.

Meanwhile, Levi was making the same assessment. Dogs could be found in the Underground City too. Some were domesticated, but some were wild mutts. Levi was glad this one didn't try to bite him. And that he wasn't smelly. From what he'd heard, wet dog was not a pleasant odor.

The rain refused to let up for a while. Sighing, Levi crouched as he waited, arms hugging his legs, tired of standing. The dog tilted his head to look at him. "What?" Levi asked him.

The dog yawned and looked away.

A few days later, Levi was walking by the same alley when he saw the dog again._ Smart mutt_, he thought, realizing the dog was waiting for the baker to throw out the garbage to rummage through it to find some scraps to eat.

Levi wandered toward the edge of Trost, standing yards before the forest. Countless, dark green trees loomed before him. Trees were nonexistent in the Underground. Seeing them now, especially an entire forest, was both amazing and freakish.

The city of Trost was comfortably familiar to him now. Months and months of exploration had made the place feel more welcoming. Levi had learned how it worked. The only place left unexplored was the forest. Because it intimidated him. At least Trost was a city and so it wasn't entirely foreign. But a forest? It was alien to him. But he was determined to venture into it. Starting today.

First day, he made a couple of yards in before the looming trees made him chicken-out, sending him fleeing with his tail between his legs.

Second day, he made it a little further before running back out, scared of a weird noise.

Third day, he spent the longest in the forest.

Every time he visited, he went deeper and deeper until he was no longer afraid.

During one of the days, he paused in his resolute march to the forest when he saw the brown dog again.

"Back again, you little rascal?" The baker glowered when he came out. "Get out of here! I don't need you biting one of my customers and scaring them away!" He made a beating motion with his broom.

The dog let out a pained yelp when the broom connected once and ran off.

Levi's heart was filled with pity for the poor little animal. Starvation was something he was all too familiar with. Levi glared at the baker. Making up his mind, he went in and grabbed a small loaf of bread with speedy hands. It took a few minutes before he found the dog. "Here," he said, leaving half the bread on the ground for him.

After a bit of hesitation, the dog came over and began eating.

Levi watched him, biting his own share. "You're a hungry little guy, huh." Once he was done, Levi went on his way, clutching a piece of chalk in his pocket. He wanted to go deeper into the forest than he had and planned to mark the trees so he wouldn't get lost.

As scary as it could be, the forest was also very pretty. He had seen furry little rodents, strange birds, and colorful wildflowers. He liked the smell of the forest, too. There was a strange peace to be found there. Sunlight broke through the foliage and made the leaves look greener and brighter. Levi was excited when he found a berry bush, happily picking off the little fruits and eating them, staining the tips of his fingers with the juice. Finding his way back was easy and he mentally patted himself on the back for his genius idea of using chalk to mark his way.

He ran into the dog again the next day and gave him some peanuts he was munching on.

On the third day, Levi fed him spinach he had snuck out. Spinach was gross but Levi didn't want to waste it either so it was the perfect solution. The dog ate it happily.

* * *

Not long after Levi entered the forest, a thunderstorm started. A massive tree caught his eye and he sought shelter in its hollow base. It was chilly and he rubbed his arms to warm them up. At least he was protected from the worst of the winds and not being soaked to the bone.

When the rain finally let up and the skies cleared, he came out. The forest smelled even better than the city did after a storm. Levi's enjoyment of the scent withered when he realized the rain had washed away his chalk marks on the trees.

His stomach dropped. How was he supposed to find his way back home now?

Suddenly, all the trees seemed to loom over him like they did the first time he saw them. Strange and foreign and terrifying, they made him feel terribly small and weak.

Everything began to blend together. He hurried in the direction he thought the city was in. It all looked the same. The trees were becoming a dizzying vortex around him. _Calm down,_ he told himself, thinking about the landmarks. The fallen tree. A large patch of wild purple flowers. One half-fallen tree leaning against another. If he just found one of those landmarks he would know where he was and be able to find his way back to town from there.

A brilliant idea came to him then. Levi snapped his head around, trying to find a good tree to climb. Most of them didn't have branches sprouting until halfway up. He tried scaling a few to see if he could spot Trost from the peak. While his hands could find a good grip, his shoes kept slipping, unable to find purchase against the wet bark. After another couple of futile attempts, he gave up.

Maybe he had gone in the wrong direction when he came out of the hollow tree. Maybe he should have gone east instead of west. Fear made his head spin when he realized he couldn't remember which direction he came from. Too busy trying to find a good tree to climb, he'd forgotten to make note of which direction he was going. Levi stood there, frozen. If he picked the wrong direction again, he could end up going further into the forest, making it harder for anyone who might come searching for him to find him. But he couldn't stand around doing nothing, either. Inaction made him feel vulnerable and he was antsy to do something instead of just waiting for someone to stumble upon him.

Who knows how long that might take? Hours? Days? And what if a bear ate him?

On cue, he heard some rustling in the bushes. Levi immediately pulled out his switchblade. It wouldn't do much against a bear, but it made him feel better to have it in his hands. Fighting his body's reluctance, instincts telling him to run the other way, he slowly moved in the direction of the noise.

A metallic taste of fear in his mouth, he peeked around the tree. "Doggy?" Levi said, startled.

Not ten feet away stood the scruffy little brown dog he had taken to giving out scraps to. The dog barked when Levi stepped out. He came and sniffed his hand.

"I don't have anything," Levi said, kneeling before the animal, petting him. A strong odor hit his nose. "Ew," he gagged. So that was what wet dog smelled like. Gross. But Levi was too happy to be too bothered by it. He was just glad not to be alone anymore. To see a familiar face. Even if it was furry one and trying to lick him. "What're you doing here?" Levi asked, continuing to pet his wet head. "Did you follow me?"

There was no way the dog had run into the forest when the storm started. He would have run for cover under a building or something, like he did the first time Levi met him. Maybe, he wondered, the dog had followed him into the forest before the storm and got caught in the rain.

"Do you know how to get out of here?"

Unsurprisingly the dog did not reply.

They walked around aimlessly. Levi was calmer now, trying to figure a way out. A lot of his fear was gone thanks to the presence of his four-legged companion. A gust of wind blew again, making him shiver.

The dog suddenly let out a bark and ran. Startled and scared to be left alone, Levi chased after it. "Hey! Wait for me!"

He kept his eyes focused on the dog, so terrified of letting it out of his eyesight that he didn't even realize they'd approached the edge of the forest until suddenly they were out of it. Levi let out a happy little whoop of joy and scooped up the barking dog when he stopped, not caring that he was soaked and stank.

"You did it!"

The animal stared down at him, tail wagging quickly. He let out a happy bark.

"You're my friend now, even if you stink." Levi paused and considered. "I should give you a name." The baker's word came to him and he knew just what to name the dog. "I know! Rascal. Your name is Rascal."

* * *

"Ms. Biel, do dogs eat people food?"

She looked up from her sewing and smiled. "Why yes, they do."

"Really?"

"We used to have a dog when I was a kid. We fed him some fruits and vegetables and meats."

"Like what?"

As soon as he returned to his room, he opened a notebook and wrote it all down, what food he could feed Rascal and what he shouldn't.

All the kids were either out playing or helping with chores. The caretakers were doing their duties. After making sure no one was around, Levi grabbed the necessary supplies then moved to the kitchen. Sticking his head out the door and ensuring both ways were clear, he rushed out the front door of the orphanage. Rascal was waiting for him in an alley a block down the road. Levi had followed the dog to his "home" the other day. It was an old cardboard box. Levi had picked it up and brought it closer to the orphanage, leaving it in an abandoned, rundown alleyway that didn't seem to get much foot traffic.

In his arms were two spare pillowcases and a ratty old blanket, and he lay them inside the cardboard box. Hopefully, they would help keep the dog warm at night. Levi knew where all the supplies were stored from helping Ms. Biel and the lock had been easy to pick. "This is yours now," he said to Rascal, setting a bowl full of water in front of him, liberated from the kitchen. "I'll fill it every night so you won't get thirsty."

Rascal began lapping up the water eagerly.

From his pockets, Levi pulled out a carrot and snapped it into smaller pieces to make it easier for the dog.

A genuine smile came over his face as he watched the dog eat hungrily. "You don't have to worry now, Rascal. I won't let you starve."

* * *

Three hours of Levi's life each day were devoted to schooling. Rose Heart Orphanage had split the children into classes based on age. As a twelve-year-old, Levi was in a class held for those between ages ten through thirteen.

Arithmetic was his absolute least favorite subject. The teacher droned on and on and he wished Ms. Biel taught all the subjects, but she only taught reading and writing. The history teacher wasn't very good either but Levi was curious enough to pay extra attention. Human history was something he knew little to nothing about and he was interested in learning more about the Walls.

It had stunned his young mind to learn just how enormous the lands above the Underground City really were. The geography stretched out further than he was capable of imagining. It had made him feel insignificant, thinking about his small, cramped life in the Underground compared to how big the Walls were. Levi wondered why all those people had to live in that dark, miserable pit when there was so much room to fit them up there. But he knew better than to bring it up.

While he did well both in math and history, reading and writing were the biggest challenges to him. His mother had taught him the bare minimal and Kenny hadn't done much to help improve his skills. Ms. Biel would secretly help him out and he was grateful for her discretion in giving him extra lessons, never making him feel stupid or embarrassed for them. It had taken hard work but he'd managed to get himself to the same level of the students his age, even surpassing them in math and history. It helped that without friends to play with and distract him, he had much more time to spare on his homework and studying. There was also the motivation of not wanting to look stupid in front of them. Not to mention the other big motivation of not being associated with the Underground. No one would believe that if he had good grades.

Levi yawned. Mrs. Schultz must have noticed because she called him up to solve the problem on the board. He was nervous before he scanned the equation, relaxing when he realized he knew how to solve it.

"Looks like you were paying attention, after all," she said, pleased when he wrote out the answer.

He only nodded, carefully and subtly scanning the kids' faces as he went back to his seat. They looked as bored as he felt a minute ago. He felt silly for being disappointed that they weren't impressed at how easily he'd solved the problem. He sat down, doodling in his notebook.

_Wonder what Rascal's doing_. He was almost envious of the dog just then. Levi wanted nothing more than to run outside and play with his four-legged friend. Rascal was so lucky in some ways. There were so many dumb human things he didn't have to worry about. All that mattered to him was food, water, his cardboard box, and the toys Levi had given him.

Levi was glad when the teacher began passing back the graded homework. It meant class was almost done.

"I noticed you never write your last name, Levi," Mrs. Schultz said, giving him his paper. "Great job as always, though. Keep it up!"

He nodded, distracted momentarily by the nearly perfect score at the top. _Wait, what did she mean... _He glanced at her as she kept handing back homework. He always put "Levi A." on his work because he'd noticed the other children wrote out their full names. Since he didn't have a last name he used what Ms. Biel had stitched into his clothes. Mrs. Schultz probably didn't know his situation. _But shouldn't she know? _Wasn't that what the "A." meant? Without a last name, they'd use it to differentiate them if another Levi came to the orphanage. Eager to go play fetch with Rascal, though, he shrugged it off.

* * *

A skip in his step, Levi returned to the orphanage for dinner. He and Rascal had spent the evening running around playing tag and other games with a group of children. Sometimes his four-legged friend attracted other kids and they'd run over to pet him. Occasionally they'd invite him to join in their games. The first time it had happened he'd been thrilled. Then the cracking of Finn's ribs filled his ears and he had made an excuse and left. Using his full strength against Kenny in spars and against thugs in the Underground was one thing, but he had to be careful up here. Having learned that lesson the hard way, he always took care when he did accept invitations to play. Those days were the best.

He was heading toward the mess hall when he heard them. The two girls were so busy gossiping they didn't realize he had just turned the corner and was behind them.

"...really true."

"So Darren was lying? He's not really from the Underground City?"

Levi felt his stomach fill with dread. They had to be talking about him. But the next words confused him.

"No. I asked Mr. Gartner."

Mr. Gartner was an administrator at the orphanage. As far as Levi knew, the man's job was to do paperwork. Levi wondered why he had told the two girls he wasn't from the Underground. _Why did he lie to them?_

"I was really scared cause Darren said Underground people were all evil."

_Chubby little jerk_. Levi thought sourly. He really didn't like that kid.

"But Mr. Gartner said it wasn't true and Levi was born in Trost so Darren was making it all up."

Their words were cut off when they entered the mess hall while he stood frozen in the hallway.

It was one thing for Mr. Gartner to tell them he wasn't from the Underground City—he probably thought Levi wasn't—but to say he was born in Trost? Why would he tell them that? _Mr. Gartner works in the office._ He'd know, wouldn't he? That Levi was really from the shithole below the capital.

Several questions sprang up in his head and he knew where he might find some answers.

Levi waited until he was sure everyone at the orphanage was in bed, fast asleep, before slipping out of bed. His roommates continued to breathe slowly and deeply. A small lock-picking kit in hand, he snuck out. Feet bare to avoid making any sound as he crept around in the middle of the night, he went to the office where all the records were kept. It was laughably easy to gain entry and he shut the door behind him.

Moonlight guided him and he found a candle, striking a match. He paused, listening for anyone walking by.

Everything was silent.

With the candle in one hand providing him with light, he opened the drawer that held files of those whose names began with L. Even after checking two times, he couldn't find his name among them. There had to be a file for him. At the very least it would contain his medical card, the one filled out by the doctor who given him all the injections had, so they'd have a record of his medical history. Levi let out a soft, frustrated noises. It was then he noticed it. The drawer was organized by last name.

Did that mean his would be in the first drawer? Because of the "A." attached to his name in place of a real last name? Even if he was wrong, he needed to go through all the drawers to find his file and he would have to start from the beginning anyway. When he opened the drawer, the first file caught his attention.

Ackerman, Levi.

It had to be his file. He was the only Levi there. Gently, he plucked it out and sat down on the floor. He opened the file and laid out the three things that were in there: birth certificate, citizenship papers, medical card. Only the last one was familiar to him. The other two documents he had never even known existed.

Everyone in the Underground knew that to get to the surface you needed to get citizenship. The passes only allowed you to roam for a little while in the sunlight. He'd assumed Kenny had gotten temporary passes that would allow them to stay aboveground for longer than what was normal while he took care of his business. After his mentor had failed to retrieve him, he'd thought the Military Police probably didn't care enough for one missing brat to bother searching for him. Or, Levi had also considered since passes to the surface were extremely expensive and if Kenny had gotten the money to buy two for a long period of time, that maybe Kenny had enough to bribe the guards not to come looking for him.

Yet there lay an official-looking document stating Levi Ackerman was a citizen of Trost, his birthplace.

Then there was the birth certificate. His breath caught up in his throat. The name on it was his and the slot for father was empty. For mother, it said Kuchel Ackerman. _That's...her name. It's Mom's name_. Did that mean Ackerman really was his last name? Why hadn't his mother ever told him? Suddenly, he recalled one of the first things Kenny said, more to himself than Levi.

_"__Just Levi, huh? I get that, Kuchel. No reason in giving him your name."_

He had so spoken quietly. It had been difficult to understand him. Now it made sense.

Levi wondered if Kenny had taken him in out of some obligation due to whatever connection he shared with his mother. But he'd grown tired of it and dumped Levi at the orphanage without explaining himself.

"Levi Ackerman," he said out loud, staring at the papers for a long time.

* * *

**_Please Review~ _**


	4. Snow

**Chapter 4: Snow**

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin

**Previously**: Levi gets a haircut. He befriends a dog, naming him Rascal. He breaks into the matron's office and finds records stating him as Levi Ackerman, a citizen of Trost.

* * *

It was easy enough to confirm Levi Ackerman was him. His mother's name was in the file so it had to be his file, but he'd wanted to use his full name to be sure, having never had a family name before.

"Levi Ackerman is too big so you only stitch the A, right?" Levi had asked Ms. Biel.

"Yes, that's right."

Next he'd put his full name on all his homework and class assignments and tests and none of the teachers batted an eye.

"I really am Levi Ackerman," he said to Rascal, sitting on a crate as the dog played with a toy Levi had given him. In front of them, Trost's citizens walked through the market, following their daily routines.

There were so many questions Levi had for Kenny. Unfortunately, his mentor wasn't around to answer them. Levi wished he'd been braver and asked when he had the chance.

It still stung to think he had been abandoned. Maybe it was for a better life, but then why hadn't Kenny just told him? Why walk away without a word? Didn't he think he owed him that much? They'd lived together for years. Kenny had taken it upon himself to teach him how to survive and be strong.

_Maybe Kenny just got tired of you and wanted to get rid of you without a fuss_. Levi winced at the thought.

Rascal jumped up, front paws against the crate. The toy was between his jaws and he was staring expectantly at Levi.

"Doesn't matter," he said loudly, partially to drown out the negative voice in his head about not being good enough for his mentor. "You're all the family I need." He jumped down and began playing tug of war, smiling at how fast Rascal was waging his tail. Playing with his dog for a couple of hours made him forget all his troubles and relax.

* * *

Levi stopped playing with the wooden puzzle, giving up temporarily and glancing outside the kitchen window. He was sitting on the counter, keeping his favorite caretaker company. "Do you think it'll snow this year?" Levi asked.

"Maybe," Ms. Biel said, continuing to peel potatoes. "Do you want it to snow?"

Levi shrugged. He very much did though. And after hearing the other kids talk so excitedly about it, his curiosity was piqued even more. The last couple of years the weather became bitter and cold in winter but it hadn't snowed. It was strange to think in just a few days' time, it was going to be two years since he came to live at the orphanage._ Has it really been that long? _It didn't feel like it.

"You're going to be fifteen at the end of this year, right?"

She knew when his birthday was and exactly how old he would be despite the fact there were dozens of other kids at the orphanage. The previous years when he turned thirteen and fourteen, she had secretly made a little pie both times, just for him. All the birthdays for a month were celebrated together on the 15th of every month. Levi had been delighted that Ms. Biel would secretly make a treat just for him though.

"Yes," he said warily. He knew at once where the conversation was going.

"So you just have one more year."

"I still have a year."

"I know it might sound like a long time but a year is not that long. You should start planning your future."

He hated thinking about it. All it did was bring him anxiety. Funny how two years ago he had wanted nothing more than to leave the orphanage and here he was now, nervous at the thought of having to leave the place that had become his home. A part of him still hated it. But it was an improvement in many ways over the Underground. The people in the Underground had been better to him—they didn't look down on him, and it helped his mentor had a certain reputation—but aboveground there was sunshine and food and at least a chance at having a decent life. And he had Ms. Biel and after getting Rascal, he'd adjusted quickly, becoming fairly content with his life. Things were easy here.

But now in a year's time, his life would be uprooted again and he would be expected to find his own way. At fifteen or sixteen years of age was when apprenticeships started or one could begin applying to the military.

"We had a girl a few years back who found an apprenticeship with a blacksmith. Last I heard she was planning on opening her own shop after finishing her training and getting some experience."

Levi only half paid attention as she talked, knowing what she was going to say. Sure there were the rare instances where professionals weren't able to find an apprentice among their own children or those who came applying, so they would choose an orphan. But those cases weren't very common. Ms. Biel had total faith he would be able to do something like, though. Find an opportunity and make something of his life instead of just finding some job where he could scrape together an existence. Levi almost felt bad for not having the same faith in himself as she had in him.

He looked at his hands. All his hands were good for was killing. And cleaning. But the idea of being some snobby, pretentious rich asshole's servant did not appeal to him. He'd probably get himself fired within days for his bad attitude even if he managed to land such a gig in the first place.

So, as it often did, Levi's mind would turn to the military. It was the most popular career choice for orphans. And many in general. It was open to all. No previous experience or extensive education was required. Plus it was free. Best of all, the military provided you with a basic education, free meals and housing, vaccinations, and you could have a fairly decent life as a soldier. And there was also the societal pressure to join if you didn't have anything else worthwhile you could contribute.

It had also come to him early on that the military was the one place where the lessons Kenny had drilled into him could be of some use. Surely he could climb up a high enough rank in the Garrisons that would help him afford a good life. It had the highest population of soldiers but that also meant more opportunities to move up the ranks. Besides, the Garrisons were only about Wall maintenance and defense so how hard could it be? And ambition, Levi had noticed, was sorely lacking among them. Would it really be that difficult to move up the chain of command there?

_But it seems so boring and unappealing_. Levi wasn't sure it was something he could do for the rest of his life. And there were some other issues them. First things first, though, he'd have to go into the Training Corps and graduate.

Unlike the majority of the others, he had previous training. Many of them would probably just be there to fulfill societal expectations so they wouldn't have his drive, either. How many of them had known the heartbreaking poverty of the Underground? Such a driving force would propel him to exceed where others would be okay just getting through it.

"...do you think?"

"Hm?"

Ms. Biel sighed at his obvious lack of attention. "Levi, you have to consider and plan for your future. I know it's a scary thing to think about. But trust me, it's scarier going out into the world without a plan."

"I do have a plan. I could just join the military like everybody else."

"Yes, I suppose. But you're only young once. It'll be very hard for you to change career paths later down the road. Once you're much older, learning may not come as easily. So really think about what you want to do for the rest of your life. What you want your life to look like in five years, in ten. Don't end up doing something just because it's what others expect of you."

While she was his favorite person, Levi had to admit Ms. Biel could be too optimistic and naive at times. He could never do the kinds of apprenticeships she was thinking might be an option for him. Find a job that made him happy? No, that was irrelevant. The job just had to be something that provided him with security, which meant one that provided him with money. He didn't have any noble goals or aspirations, and he wasn't passionate about anything aside from his dog and maybe cleaning. Long as he had four walls, a roof over his head, food on the table, and new clothes, that was all he needed. He would take a crappy but well-paying job over anxiety and going to bed hungry any day.

There was one major reason that was making him hesitate in going for the military, though. _Oh well_, he thought, pushing it aside, _there's still time_.

* * *

Levi woke to shrieks of excitement and was startled to see the thick white snowflakes outside the windows. He couldn't help but get caught up in the atmosphere. After a quick breakfast, making sure to dress warmly, he went to the play area in the back.

The snow came down in a flurry.

With an amazed look, he held out his hand, fascinated by the white fluff. He looked up and caught a few in his mouth. Some stuck to his eyelashes and he had to blink a couple of times and wipe his face to clear them off. Imitating the other kids, he created a snowball. It would have been more fun if he could play with it but they'd probably avoid him or run off if he tried to join them. It was just too uncomfortable at this point, trying to reach out to them. Everyone was happy ignoring him and he was happy ignoring them. For the most part, it worked for him.

_Rascal would run after the ball_, Levi thought, _and get all confused when it turns back into mush when it hits the ground._ The thought made Levi smile.

Quickly, he went to find his four-legged friend so they could play. But first, he would need to check Rascal's wooden box—Levi had replaced the cardboard box with a wooden crate long ago since it did a better job of keeping the rain out—and make sure it was well stocked. "Rascal, look! It's snowing!"

A gasp escaped him when he felt the faint trembles running through the dog's body as he came to greet him. Levi opened his coat to hold the dog close to his warmth. For a while there, he just sat, trying to warm up his best friend. If he had known the temperatures would drop so low this early on, he would have added extra padding to the crate. Mentally, he swore to do that before the end of the day.

"C'mon, boy, let's go play," he told Rascal after the dog stopped shaking. "Exercise will keep you warm." He pulled out apple slices and fed them to him.

At an empty area used by the neighborhood kids to play ball games, Levi created several snowballs near the edge by a tree. As expected, Rascal was bouncing around, tail wagging furiously, eager to play. Levi threw the snowball and yelled, "Fetch!"

Rascal shot after it and stopped around where it landed. Confused, he sniffed around, digging through the snow.

"Where did it go? Where is it?" Levi laughed when his dog came bounding over to him, eager for more play. "Wanna go again?" Once again the dog was confused and ran back to him. "Look, here it is," he said, holding the snowball close to Rascal's face.

The dog began biting and licking it.

"Don't eat it, you silly mutt," he said affectionately.

Next, Levi got working to build a snowman under the tree.

A group of other kids came over, asking if they could pet his dog, which he allowed, and some of them began helping with his snowman while the others played fetch using a stick or a snowball. Until Rascal decided the snowman was a threat and charged right into him, obliterating the poor snowman, making them cry out in surprise before it eventually turned into laughter.

* * *

Levi stayed in bed, not wanting to get out. A pillow covered his face.

"Levi?" Ms. Biel probed, removing his pillow. "Are you feeling ill?" She placed her hand on his forehead.

"No. I just wanna sleep in."

"Now, now, you can't stay in bed all day. Besides, it's your birthday." She dragged him up. "C'mon, up you go. Go wash up and come to the kitchen. I'll make you breakfast. Everyone else already ate."

Levi wasn't surprised to see a full breakfast of eggs and toast waiting for him. "Why're you watching me? It's weird," he grumbled, taking a bite of his toast. His mother used to do that, too, while he ate. _Don't think about her_. Quickly, he banished her from his thoughts.

Ms. Biel's smile widened. "I got you something," she said, sliding a package to him.

He shook it slightly to figure out what it was. Opening the package, he pulled out a dark sweater. At the bottom, there were two smaller items, made of the same material. They were also the same bluish-black color as his new sweater. Except the scarf and the cap were far too small for him.

"Those are for your four-legged buddy."

His eyes widened. "What?"

"You didn't think I wouldn't know about your little friend now, did you? I know you've been sneaking out food for your dog for years. And hiding him here at the orphanage during the winter."

"You knew this entire time?"

"How do you think you managed to keep it a secret? I saw the two of you playing and realized why we started missing small scraps of food here and there after you asked me what human food dogs could eat. Then one night I saw you sneaking out of your room to check in on him. You were keeping him in one of the empty storage closets."

"It was way too cold to keep him outside," Levi explained. "I got worried he might not like being locked in such a small space, or that he might make noise. So I checked in on him the first few nights." Fortunately, Rascal had been pretty comfortable with his new home. "I didn't want to tell you and force you to lie to the others."

Most of the other caretakers would have been completely against it. If one person was allowed to have a pet, then others would demand one too and soon it would turn into a circus. And they couldn't afford to feed both the kids and the animals.

"I understand. I think dogs are the greatest and sweetest animals in this world."

"They are," Levi said, smiling fondly, thinking about the pure love on his best friend's face every time he saw him and would come running over. "Thank you for the sweater, and the scarf and the cap, too. I'm gonna go find Rascal."

"Rascal. Is that the name?"

Levi told her how he'd met the dog and named him.

"Go on, then. And don't tell the other kids but I'm going to get you a little cake, and a small treat for your friend, too. Oh, and Levi?"

"Yeah?"

"Rascal's a girl."

In hindsight, the lack of balls should have been his first clue. But he wasn't exactly a dog expert. The only dogs he had seen were in the distance in the Underground or in drawings. Animal anatomy wasn't exactly a subject they taught at the orphanage.

"Hey there, b—girl," he corrected, kneeling to pet his dog. "Bet you must think I'm a dumbass. I thought you a boy," he laughed when Rascal licked his face. "Let's go for a walk." That immediately got her bouncing around in excitement. "First, here. Look what Ms. Biel made you. They'll keep you nice and warm."

He put the scarf and cap on his dog...and snorted at the sight once he was done. He'd probably receive weird looks and maybe get laughed at by the people in the streets, but he didn't care. Rascal didn't seem too bothered by them.

"I think you look great," he said. "Let's go."

* * *

Thick white snow had buried most of the town. There was an alien beauty to it that Levi loved, when the snow gave everything a lovely white coat and muffled the sound. Completing the atmosphere was the hot, sweet scent of drinks and good food cooking around him. There was such a peaceful quality to be found here that simply walking through the market brought him a sense of calm and peace.

In his pocket, his fingers ran over the cash. It had come from the little things he'd swiped from shops and sold to other kids for a much cheaper price. Or by swiping wallets from those who looked like they could afford to lose a little money and it wouldn't be of any real bother to them.

Food, shelter, and clothes were provided to him by the orphanage, for the most part, so he had collected the majority of the money to hoard it. It just gave him comfort knowing he had it. He didn't necessarily feel compelled to spend it. Normally he would only spend the money on a new pairs of socks and he had once bought a shirt with it. Levi only bought small stuff that would fly under the caretakers' radar and he always got it secondhand, just to be extra safe. No matter how much he'd like new stuff, it was better to be safe. Rascal's collar had been one of the few things he'd purchased new. He hadn't wanted to buy her anything used.

Unwittingly his feet led him to a large, two-story building. If it weren't for the flag with a rose insignia flying in the wind or the soldiers coming and leaving, he would have ignored it and kept going.

Levi couldn't believe he was at this point in his life already. Soon he needed to make a choice about what he wanted in life. It felt like only yesterday he'd been walking around, taking in Trost, all awed and wide-eyed, experiencing the surface for the first time in his life. Now he was old enough to begin making the big life decisions. Despite trying—halfheartedly—to see if there might be another viable route for him to take other than the military, he'd always known this was where his life would go.

"Stay here," he said to Rascal, tying her leash to the flagpole. "I'll be back soon."

Inside he found a recruiting officer standing behind a long desk, looking down at something.

Levi cleared his throat to grab her attention.

"Come to sign up for the Training Corps, kid?"

"What do I need?"

She slid a sheet of paper across to him. "Do you have your birth certificate and citizenship paper? Medical card would be great if you have that too but it's not necessary. The military will get you free vaccinations after you sign up and create one for you."

Fear paralyzed him momentarily. What if they inspected his birth certificate and citizenship papers and said they were a forgery? Would they jail him? Or throw him back into the Underground? _Relax_, he told himself. There was no way he'd be sent back there. Aside from Kenny, no one knew who he was and where he came from. His identity could be verified by the orphanage's caretakers who had been raising him for the past two and a half years. Kenny was nothing if not thorough. If he wasn't able to get the real deal then the forgeries had to be of the highest caliber. Just to be safe, though, Levi would make sure to break into the matron's office tonight and compare his papers with some of the other kids' to see if he could spot any discrepancies.

"I don't have those with me," he said to the recruiting officer. Behind him, he heard someone enter.

"That's fine. Take that form with you and fill it out then bring it back with the other documents. Once it's submitted, it'll take about three days for your application to be stamped. Then there's no going back," she warned him.

"Understood. Can I borrow a pen? Thanks." Levi slid off to the side of the long desk, beginning to fill out the form while eavesdropping.

From his spying, he quickly gathered they weren't going to scrutinize the documents as deeply as he had expected. After the girl presented her birth certificate and proof of citizenship, the officer checked it for a few seconds before she went into the back for a minute.

"Your name and address check out with our records," the officer said, handing the papers back to the girl. "You can fill the form out now or come back with it. But then you'll have to bring the documents with you again if you come back."

While the girl opted to finish everything then, Levi quietly took his leave, grabbing his dog and heading back to the orphanage.

* * *

"I picked up the form to apply for the military a month ago, on my fifteenth birthday." There. Straight to the point. He didn't want to dawdle. His mind was made.

"I had thought you might. How did it go?" Ms. Biel asked.

He was glad she didn't express disappointment in not going the route she had wished. "I haven't filled it yet. Will I be able to get my birth certificate and citizenship paper? I need it for them to accept my application."

"Of course. I'll speak to the matron. I'm sure you'll do well in the military if you apply yourself to the training."

Again Levi felt relief at her support instead of being told he could have had a better future elsewhere and should have picked something different. "Can I ask you for a big favor?"

"You want someone to watch Rascal while you're gone."

"Since you already know about her, can you look after her? I don't think I'll be able to join the military if it means she'll end up back on the streets."

"Unfortunately, I have too many responsibilities to be able to take care of her. But I can send her to my parents'. I'm sure they'll be happy to watch her for a few years for you."

"I would really appreciate it," he said sincerely. Then, he asked, "Have there been any other kids from here who went to the military?"

"Yes, plenty."

"I just wanna know what exactly the process is. All the steps I need to take."

"I think you just have to bring your documents for them to verify your identity. They'll want you to fill out their form and turn it in. Then they confirm someone of that name lives here. The orphanage provides updated records every month to the government."

Which meant they would have it on file that Levi Ackerman was an orphan at Rose Heart Orphanage so he was all set to proceed with his application without worry. Levi nodded. "Thank you."

Ms. Biel sighed heavily. "I'm going to miss you when you're gone. It won't be the same without you."

"I've still got about six months before I have to leave." Levi paused and said, "Am I the only one joining the military this year or do you know if anyone else is, too?"

"The only ones who are of age to apply now are Darren, Dahlia, and Erika, but none of them are interested. Compared to most orphanages, we actually don't have a lot of kids who end up in the military. We are quite lucky to receive patronage from nobles and Trost's Merchant Association. It's allowed our kids some freedom in making their choices. We're able to help the new children reach out to former kids of ours and use those connections to help them get decent jobs."

Levi was just glad it meant he wouldn't have to see anyone from Rose Heart at the Training Corps. Darren, that little wimp, would never join the military, but still. He and Levi had never gotten along since their first meeting. And Levi could easily imagine the rumors the little fucker would spread if they'd both ended up in the Training Corps.

Although his mind was made, he still took a week to fill out the application. The day after he made up his mind, he felt an iota of anxiety when he handed over the papers to the recruiting officer. Worries about somehow being found out as Underground scum flooded his mind when she disappeared into the back. _Stop being so damn paranoid and stupid._ Since when had he become such a worry-wart?

His worries were groundless.

"Alright, kid, you're set. Remember, you've got three days before your application gets stamped. Then there's no turning back."

* * *

During his three days, he considered and reconsidered his decision to join the military.

Then the cons began to melt away and realizing the positives, he suddenly couldn't wait to get out of the orphanage. While he would miss Rascal and Ms. Biel, it was only temporary. In a few years' time, he would have his own source of income, he would live by his own rules, in a place that was his and filled with his new stuff, and he could go anywhere he wanted to. Freedom. Financial security. Maybe even friends. All those things awaited with just some patience and hard work on his part.

Once he started thinking about that, rather than dreading leaving the orphanage he began to look forward to starting his new future. As was natural, the months began to feel as if they weren't going fast enough.

Until, at last, the day of his departure arrived.

Usually he wasn't one for physical contact from people, but he accepted Ms. Biel's hug easily. It was nice to have someone see him off. Made it a little harder to leave, but he was grateful still. Leaving without anyone seeing him off would have sucked. Made him feel shitty and unwanted so he was glad for her support. It was nice to know someone cared.

Levi dropped to one knee and scratched Rascal. "I'm going to miss you, girl. Try not to miss me too much." He gave the dog a hug, feeling dread at the thought of leaving her. Fuck, he was not going to cry. "Don't forget me," he told her.

"Make sure you have your papers," Ms. Biel said, repeating the same thing she had told him three times already. "And how are you getting there?"

"I spoke to a merchant the other day about it," he said, standing. Many of them knew young men and women would be heading off in that direction soon and had advertised rides if they were would be passing by the Training Corps' grounds. They were giving detours to drop them off for a small fee for anyone interested.

Suddenly, he was reminded of his first time coming to Trost with Kenny. Thinking about his mentor turned his thoughts to the three military branches. The Garrisons had a lot of opportunities when it came to climbing the ranks. It was the biggest division with tens of thousands of soldiers. In any case, though, he wasn't interested in their responsibilities. Besides, the biggest negative of all with the Garrison was that they might assign him to Trost, as was often the case with them stationing soldiers to districts they came from. Aside from Ms. Biel, Levi did not care to see people from the orphanage around town. Unlike the other two branches, the Garrison soldiers also needn't live in barracks if they so chose and had the ease and comfort of living at home. A great thing unless you didn't like the people you lived with or if you didn't have a family. Or both.

"I almost forgot to ask, which branch of the military do you want to join?" Ms. Biel asked and Kenny's hatred and killing spree of a particular branch of the military came to Levi's mind.

He'd always known there was only one division for him, no matter what.

"The Military Police."

As a fuck you to his mentor.

But mostly because it would help him live in comfort. That it was a middle-finger to Kenny, who held a grudge against them and loathed them, was a great extra benefit. The thought of donning the unicorn logo and the look on his mentor's face if Kenny ever saw him in that uniform almost brought a smile to Levi's face.

"That's wonderful to hear! I'll admit, I was hoping you'd say the Garrison so I could see you from time to time, but I'm happy for you. Don't forget us once you make it big and move into Wall Sina."

"I won't." Levi reached out down to pet Rascal one last time before handing her leash to Ms. Biel. He glanced down the street to where parents and family members were hugging and crying, saying farewell to their children. "I should get going now. Don't wanna miss my ride."

"Take care of yourself, Levi. And remember, don't be picky and eat your spinach," she said and he made a face. "Try to get along with your fellow trainees, and get lots of sleep if you want to grow tall. And don't forget to write once in a while."

"I'll try."

Rascal barked, struggling against the leash, almost as if sensing she wouldn't be seeing him for a while.

"Don't worry, might take me some years but I'll come back for you," Levi promised before picking up his trunk and heading to where his ride waited.

* * *

**_Please Review~ _**


	5. The Training Corps

**Chapter 5: The Training Corps**

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin

**Previously**: Levi decides to join the military, specifically the Military Police. He asks Ms. Biel to watch Rascal for him, who says her parents can look after the dog for Levi.

* * *

Hills and mountain ranges surrounded most of the area. There was a large, barren courtyard in the middle of the training camp with a dozen or so brown, one-story buildings to one side, three buildings in one corner, and a watchtower in another.

Two lines had formed in front of one of the larger buildings. Levi joined one line, listening to the quiet chatter of nervous excitement around him. He saw people ahead of him enter the building and exit with a short slip of paper in hand.

Inside were two desks. Between them was a blackboard stand asking them to have their application, birth certificate, and proof of citizenship ready. He opened his trunk and quickly pulled out the necessary paperwork before his turn came.

The man behind the desk scanned the documents, keeping the application and returning the rest. "Take this and go to Building 6 for a medical inspection and if you pass, pick up your uniform and boots from the quartermaster in Building 8." He handed Levi a short piece of paper. "Do you have a medical card?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Then you're set."

Building 6 had several stations separated by curtains that Levi assumed were for privacy. He joined the shortest line and waited. When his turn came, he handed his medical card to the doctor, taking a seat on the wooden barstool, reminded of times when doctors would visit the orphanage every year to administer vaccines and perform a general checkup on the kids. Though Levi couldn't understand the need for a privacy curtain. Presumedly it was going to be a general checkup.

It went as he expected. Or it did until the doctor said, "Only thing left is to check for deformities. Take off your clothes."

Levi gave him a startled look. "What?"

"Don't worry, you don't have to take everything off. Strip down to your underwear. You'll get over any shame about nudity soon enough."

The hell did that mean? Thoroughly uncomfortable, Levi began to undress as instructed. Fortunately, it was quick and easy to determine he had no physical abnormalities thus the doctor declared him fit for active duty. Levi eagerly pulled his clothes back on. Being naked, or almost naked, made him feel extremely vulnerable.

Next stop was Building 8, where he was measured and provided with the standard military brown jacket with an insignia of two crossed swords, white pants, and a pair of long brown boots. The boots were the highest quality of clothing he had ever owned. For shirts, he was told he could wear his own. "Come back after you've tried them on," the quartermaster said. "See if you can move and run around comfortably. If so, then we'll get you more in the same size. Otherwise we'll go up or down a size."

Levi packed up the uniform in his trunk and carried the boots in his other hand, heading for one of the men's barracks, the one which he was supposed to be sleeping in according to the little slip of paper.

The bunks, it seemed, were on a first-come-first-served basis so he got to choose where he slept. Apparently, he had arrived early enough to have a decent selection available. After debating for a few seconds, he concluded that making the effort to climb up to a top bunk after a grueling day of training was unnecessary torture and claimed a bottom bunk.

Lockers to store their clothes and secure other personal items lined one of the walls of the room. On the slip of paper was his locker number and the combination. He emptied out his trunk in there, neatly placing his folded up clothes on the shelves, and shoved the trunk under his bunk to one side, leaving the rest of the space for his bunkmate and his trunk.

Uniform in hand, he went to the building with the showers and toilets to change. Suddenly the doctor's words made a whole lot more sense. Ten stalls stood on the right side of the medium-sized room with a long shelf running along the opposite wall to place their clothes while they showered.

There was no door or a curtain for privacy on the stalls.

The other shower room was the same. Nothing was on the stalls for privacy. It was enough to almost make him want to quit right then and there.

How was he supposed to get through this? Levi's only consolation was that he wasn't the only one fidgeting uncomfortably at the thought of having to get naked and shower in full view of others. Many of the boys shot nervous looks at the stalls, appearing intimidated, their faces paling. Levi fled. He'd deal with it tomorrow. Mercifully, the two rooms with the toilets had stall doors—very short ones, but at least they were there.

Levi kept his dark gray shirt and put on his new uniform, which fit, thankfully, so he wouldn't have to come back and try on a new size. Levi returned to Building 8 to get more sets of the uniform in the same size.

Back in the barracks, most of his roommates were settling in and some were already making friends. No one approached him and he didn't reach out to anyone either.

A man who looked way too old to be a trainee pouted when he noticed all the bottom bunks were gone and muttered "Excuse me" to Levi and climbed to the bunk above his. Levi hoped he wasn't a snorer.

He sat in his bed to test out the mattress before laying on it. Levi noted rather sourly that the military had no problem providing a curtain that ran around the bunk to hide him from the rest of his new roommates, but apparently, they couldn't be bothered to do the same for the showers.

Roommates at least he was used to after sharing his room back at the orphanage with at least three other boys at any given time. Voices picked up around him and he left his bunk to join the new trainees lining up in the open courtyard before the commander came. Being late on the very first day was not how he wanted to start his military career.

_Rascal would love this place._ Levi could imagine his hyperactive dog running around the large courtyard, barking excitedly, wanting to play fetch, demanding his attention. Levi sighed gloomily. He was missing her already. _It's only three years, come 843 and your life will be set when you enter the Military Police_.

It was another twenty minutes before everyone had arrived and fallen in line somewhere. Complete silence fell around him all of sudden. Levi was almost tempted to turn his head to locate the source that had caused them to tense up, but he resisted the urge to look, not wanting to get chewed out for acting like some gawking civilian. Levi heard the commander addressing some trainees in another row, scaring them shitless and making them splutter in panic. It was variations of the same questions: "Who are you?" and "Why are you here?" Not everyone was questioned. Only certain unlucky souls were picked on and he wondered if there was a reason behind it.

Then it was his row's turn. The commander walked past him, not sparing him a glance. She was a woman of medium height wearing a long, olive-brown coat with the same crossed swords insignia on the back. Per military protocol, her brown hair was cut short and kept out of her face.

Finally, once she was satisfied she had terrified enough trainees and almost made them wet themselves, she introduced herself as Commander Marina Lange and welcomed the 97th class to the Training Corps.

Reality really sank in at last. _I'm a soldier,_ Levi thought. His life belonged to the government.

* * *

Running. Their very first task was running.

Levi wondered if it was to gauge their stamina. Maybe the commander and the instructors were trying to get an idea of where this training class was concerning physicality. His guess was proven right when the next set of activities had to do dealt with tests of strength, speed, coordination, and balance, even flexibly and accuracy were tested to some extent. It was tiring work and he cursed himself for not keeping in better shape.

He still outclassed his fellow trainees. Levi couldn't decide if all the attention he was getting from them was good or bad. Respect and jealousy showed on their faces when they watched him outlast every single one of them in every exercise they were put through.

When evening finally came, his muscles were weak and shaky. For the hundredth time, he berated himself for not maintaining a regular workout schedule. Sure there was no one around to practice hand-to-hand combat with, but still. In the Underground, he may have gotten away with picking fights in the streets, but here on the surface, it would mean getting arrested. Levi had no one looking out for him here and couldn't risk getting in trouble. But he could have still jogged every morning and evening—running around playing with Rascal notwithstanding—and done more push-ups and sit-ups at the very least.

He could tell his reflexes weren't quite up to par. Good but rusty compared to when he had lived with Kenny. He had let himself grow soft. His mentor would be disappointed and disgusted. _So what? Fuck him and his opinions. _Why should he concern himself with what Kenny would have thought of him getting complacent? Of letting sunshine and food and the peace and easy life aboveground soften him? If the asshole had given a rat's ass about him he wouldn't have ditched him without so much as a goodbye. Why should he care? In fact, thinking about how it would have annoyed Kenny made Levi feel almost glad about letting himself get soft.

"Do you want to sit here?"

Levi blinked, pulled out of his head. He realized he was standing in the middle of the mess hall, glaring at the tray in his hands. Around him, the trainees had loosened up and talked with each other easily, complaining and eating. Levi turned around to see who had spoken to him.

"You can sit with me if you want," she said, gesturing to the spot across from her. She had the most beautiful hair he had ever seen. And her smile was so pretty. "Your food is getting cold, you know."

A warmth seemed to exude from her.

Levi's heart started to beat erratically and he couldn't think straight.

"Thanks, Petra." Someone suddenly took the empty spot.

Levi quickly fled before the embarrassment could show on his face. Why the hell had he thought she was talking to him? He found a seat in the corner of the mess hall where he could hide in shame and scold himself. Clearly she had been referring to the other guy who obviously knew her. _Get a hold of yourself, stupid_. He ate his dinner sulkily, still embarrassed.

Many shot him curious looks when they noticed him but refrained from approaching him. He realized he was probably not giving off the most friendly vibes.

Majority of the trainees were sitting in groups or with at least one other person they had befriended. Once again, he found himself eating alone while surrounded by people. It was like the orphanage all over again. Worse than the orphanage because before today, most of them were strangers to each other. They should have all been in the same boat.

Levi found himself missing Rascal. What was she doing right now? Had she been fed? Had her temporary new owners taken her running yet? She slept better if she had been walked in the evening, a few hours before bedtime, to get rid of any excess energy, making it easier for her to settle down at night. He couldn't wait to get her back, missing her terribly already.

Levi settled in his bunk that night feeling tired and sleepy. As crappy as he felt now, he knew when he woke tomorrow it was going to be hell.

* * *

It was even worse than Levi thought.

His muscles were sore and weak and trembling. Every part of him hurt. He felt like a walking bruise.

_Fuck. I really shouldn't have let myself go, Kenny be damned_. Levi took comfort in the fact his fellow trainees were probably suffering worse than him. At least he didn't have it as bad as they did. For most of them, it was probably the first time they had been pushed so far both mentally and physically.

Levi was simultaneously anxious and excited to get his hands on the 3D Maneuver Gear. It had fascinated him ever since he heard about it the first time. But the commander had told them they were long ways still from getting to even the stationary version yet, which dashed his excitement.

Some trainees dropped out within the first few days.

Levi noted there was no small redhead among the groups that left and felt some relief.

Physical improvement was slow and would take time so their instructors weren't overly concerned yet with how they performed in the exercises. Levi figured the secondary purpose of the harsh training exercises was to root out the weaklings to cull the herd so only the strong ones would make it through. Supposedly it was only going to get harder from here on out before it became easier. He still woke up with a sore, achy body the next few days but it became less and less horrible as more time passed.

Admittedly the toughest, most intimidating part of being in the military was still showering.

But at the end of the day, after a hard day of physical training and mental exhaustion, everyone was too tired to really feel that embarrassed flashing each other. The key to making it through was being quick and practical, remembering the other boys were also feeling the same awkwardness, and pretending no one was there. Eye contact was an absolute no-no that first week in the shower rooms.

Some of the boys had now started to grow accustomed and lost any sense of shame they had felt when they first arrived almost two weeks ago. Levi was also getting there. At first, he had doubted it would be possible. How could anyone feel okay being ass naked in front of a group? Especially strangers. Now he was certain he would be indifferent to nudity by the end of this week.

Every day started with PT. They had fifteen minutes to wake up and get dressed and be in line, ready for exercise before the commander and the instructors showed up. His fellow trainees complained it was torture, making them work on empty stomachs. Levi thought it was so they wouldn't throw up what they ate. Thus breakfast came after physical training.

"Jumping jacks, twenty-five," the commander called out.

Immediately, the trainees began jumping, counting as they did the exercise. "One! Two! Three!"

"Push-ups, twenty-five."

It was easy for Levi to fall back into shape. But even now he still wasn't at the level he had been when he was being trained by Kenny. Another couple of weeks of PT and drills and he was sure he'd be back in perfect condition.

Most of the trainees managed the twenty-five push-ups but there were some who still struggled to make it to twenty. Sneakily, Levi caught sight of the pretty girl, Petra—whom he was still avoiding since the embarrassing mixup in the mess hall, though he never failed to notice her—she was still struggling to finish the set. She was small and skinny. Her body wasn't built for physical strength so it would take her longer to make it to twenty-five.

Her frustration had been clear the first few days, unable to improve at the same speed as most of the other trainees. Levi admired how dedicated she was at making small improvements every day and the bright smile that came when she met her goal every time. Sweat and redness covered her face from effort but the pride shining through at her success made her look very pretty to him.

Unfortunately, Petra always seemed to be in the company of a degenerate named Oluo, who slept in the bunk above Levi. Her asshole friend usually teased her about being too puny for the military. Sometimes Levi really wanted to punch him in the face. In all fairness, they ribbed each other equally. And Levi had to admit some of his hostility originated from the fact Oluo was close to Petra while he was stuck watching her from the sidelines, too intimidated to approach her.

"Ten laps!"

That sent some of the trainees groaning.

Commander Lange heard them and they froze in fear when she stopped and said, "Oh? If you have breath to waste on whining it tells me I'm not pushing you hard enough: twelve laps."

They wisely kept their mouths shut this time.

* * *

Two wide blades gleamed on the desk in the front of the classroom.

Like the rest of the trainees, Levi shot the swords a perfunctory glance before checking the room, looking for an empty spot to claim.

There were wooden benches that seated three people per desk. His eyes automatically found that easy to spot red-orange hair. She sat by herself. _This is your chance_. If he hurried, he could sit by her. A lot of the trainees were sitting by their friends and it didn't look like Oluo was in this class, else he'd be at Petra's side already.

Petra was friendly so he needed to hurry before more people came and claimed those empty spots by her, knowing she was nice. Another scan of the room showed most of the empty desks that remained had only one free spot left. They all knew him to be standoffish. It was perfectly logical for him to seek out a desk that had two spots open, he told himself.

Hearing more people coming in behind him, Levi hurried to approach her. "Mind if I sit here?" He was reminded of his first encounter when she had invited him to sit with her. He really hoped she didn't remember that.

"Go ahead," she accepted, smiling up at him. "I'm Petra Ral. You're Levi Ackerman, right?"

"Yeah."

"I don't think we had a chance to talk before."

"No." He scrambled to think of something to say to her but his mind remained blank.

"How's it going?"

"Good." Why couldn't he give more than a single word answer? She was going to think he was rude.

Petra went on cheerily, oblivious to his panic. "Are you excited about the lesson? I'm curious to learn more about Titans."

Finally, something he could latch on to. "Me, too. They almost don't seem real. I've heard stories but they only make them seem more mythical." Some of the things he'd heard about the giants just seemed too outrageous to be true. "They can't really shoot out steam, can they? That's just ridiculous."

"Guess we'll find out."

Levi was grateful when the entire class was here and seated and no one joined them, so it was just him and Petra at their desk. He hoped it stayed that way.

The bespectacled instructor entered and started the lesson after introducing himself.

Opening the brown notebook, Levi diligently took notes as he listened. He was surprised to learn many of the things he'd heard about Titans were, in fact, true. More than ever now he couldn't understand why the Survey Corps would willingly go fight these things when they didn't have to. Or more accurately, go get eaten by them. He saw no point in venturing outside the Walls. At the very least the Survey Corps should wait until humanity's weapons were more advanced.

They were also taught the theory behind the 3D Maneuver Gear. That was the thing he was most curious about and really anticipated learning about. The instructor explained the flesh parting blades on his desk and the reason for their wide design and flexibility.

"That will be all for today," the instructor wrapped up the lesson. "For our next class, we will delve more deeply into the three military branches."

"So Levi, do you know which division you want to join?"

"The Military Police. Nice comfortable life there." Perhaps he should have said something pretty like catching criminals, making a difference in people's lives, or serving the king. Those were the usual go-to answers he'd heard from trainees saying why they wanted to become MPs.

"I suppose that makes sense. I'd say you have a good chance from how you've performed so far." Petra giggled and said, "But I didn't expect you to come outright and say it."

Levi shrugged. "It's the truth. Makes no difference to me what anyone else thinks. It's my life."

She contemplated his words before nodding slowly. "You know what, I feel the same way. Doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. I'm choosing my own path."

_Her voice is nice_. It was soothing to listen to. He could easily fall into peaceful slumber listening to her talk. Preferably with his head in her lap. "Exactly. It's your life. Live it how you want to."

"I knew I was going to like you."

Levi was in a great mood for the rest of the day.

* * *

"I'm sure this is what many of you have been waiting for." Commander Lange stopped before one of the stations. "This apparatus here is the stationary version of the 3D gear. It will determine your aptitude for the real thing. Suffice to say, if you can't pass this test then you'll be booted. Observe."

One of their instructors was hooked up to the machine with the wires attached to his hips. Another instructor operated the machine, lifting him.

"Not everyone will be able to get it today. But if by tomorrow you cannot remain upright on the stationary gear, then you're out."

They gathered at each station in small groups, waiting for their turn. Levi suppressed a proud smile at how fast Petra was able to get the hang of it. She wobbled a bit at first and needed to adjust her balance, but she received success fairly quickly. It earned her praise from the instructors and compliments from her friends and the other trainees who were watching.

"Next!" The woman that operated the machine he was in line for waved at him.

On the machine next to his, he noticed Oluo move to take Petra's place. Slowly, the wires began to raise Levi. It took him a second to figure how to distribute his weight but he became perfectly balanced almost immediately. _This is easier than I thought_. If the 3D gear was anything like its stationary version it was going to be a walk in the park mastering it and getting into the Military Police.

"Now this is the definition of aptitude," Commander Lange lauded, gesturing her hand to him. "Ackerman knows instinctively what to do. Very rare, very impressive. You pass."

Levi ignored the stares and the awed whispers. His eyes flashed briefly to Petra, who watched him with admiration. His cheeks felt warm. Whereas having everyone else's eyes on him could be annoying, her staring at him he didn't mind so much.

Once lowered, Levi moved to the end of the line. Those who passed were allowed to observe and give those who failed or were shaky more time to practice as well as provide any helpful hints. He could tell some of them wanted to ask him for tips but were too intimidated to approach him. But not Petra.

"That was amazing," she gushed, unaware of Oluo following her and trying to get her attention. Levi's demonstration had had everyone's attention and he'd been ignored. "How did you do that?"

"I just did what felt right."

"You really are a natural," Nifa remarked, who had also tagged along.

"Don't let it go to your head and get cocky." Oluo injected himself into the conversation. "We've only just begun. If you're already at your best now, you won't have much room for improvement. That number one rank is going to be mine."

Levi ignored him outright. "You were amazing, too," he said to Petra.

"Thanks," she said, ducking her head in embarrassment.

He liked how praise made her shy. It was cute.

"We'll see how well you do in CQC. I'm gonna guess you wanna join the wimps in the Military Police." Oluo rolled his eyes. "So you gotta take close combat seriously."

Levi tilted his head at him. "Oh. You're still here?"

Annoyance was clear on Oluo's face at his presence being dismissed.

Kenny had taught him how to fight both using his hands and a knife. Hand-to-hand combat was not going to be his weakness as Oluo was hoping it would be. "If you're so confident, wanna be my sparring partner? I could use a punching bag."

"C'mon now—" Petra began and was quickly interrupted by Oluo.

"Deal."

* * *

"So, how's it feel to be knocked into the dirt by a wimp going to the Military Police?" Levi stood over Oluo, taunting him.

As expected, it was easy for him to pick up CQC, close-quarters combat. His body still remembered how to fight and now that he was back in shape, it was hilariously easy to beat Oluo in a spar. Oluo was still just testing out the basics they'd been taught over the week.

"You've been trained in close combat before," Commander Lange observed from where she had stopped to watch them.

"Yes, ma'am," he replied, standing at attention.

"Someone in your family military?"

"No, ma'am. The man who taught me just loved fighting and wanted to pass it on."

"Hm." She began walking away. "Keep up the good work."

"That's why you're so good," Oluo accused, climbing to his feet. "You started out with an advantage. And you have the nerve to act so high and mighty."

"Please," Levi scoffed at the accusation. "I'm years out of practice. But even if I'd joined without any prior experience, I still would have knocked your ass into the dirt."

"We'll see about that. I just need time to catch up to the advantage you have."

"Well, it's too bad Petra wasn't able to see you fail miserably today. Maybe next time I'll invite her to watch the show."

"Petra? Whatever, I don't care," Oluo lied, cheeks turning pink and storming away. Too harried, he accidentally bumped into another trainee.

_What the fuck? _Levi thought when Oluo clutched his mouth. _Did he bite his tongue?_

There were times Levi felt bad about continuously beating Oluo and embarrassing him in front of the girl he liked. Only a blind fool wouldn't be able to tell the boy, very understandably, had a serious crush on Petra—a crush that rivaled Levi's own, his sneaky inner voice pointed out. But then Oluo would open his mouth and say something stupid, pissing him off, and Levi would lose any sympathy he felt.

"Do you want to spar?"

Levi was pulled out of his thoughts when Petra walked up to him. No one was looking to join him after he'd already beaten three trainees earlier. As a result, he had started spacing off as he stretched his arms—in case an instructor walked by, they'd see he wasn't being totally lazy, just waiting for an opponent.

"I can be the assailant," Petra offered, holding up the wooden knife. "Then we can switch."

A chance to get close to her and touch her and smell her hair. _Stop it,_ he scolded himself, embarrassed by his train of thought. _You sound like a pervert._ Composing himself, he accepted. "Fine by me."

Petra backed up and held up her knife. "Ready?"

Levi ran at her, easily disarming her and knocking her down.

"Hey! I wasn't ready!"

"No one is going to give you a warning or agree when to start before attacking you in real life."

She pouted but slipped her hand into his. "I guess you're right." Her hands were so small and fit well in his own.

He tried to dispel the pleasant feeling that tingled across his palm where their skin had touched. "This time, I'll be the assailant and—" She threw her fist at his face before he could finish. _A quick learner_, he thought, continuing to avoid her attacks.

"Aren't you going to attack?" Petra dropped to the ground and swept out her leg to knock him down.

He lifted his leg and moved back. "Why? When I can dodge easily and let you waste your energy." She came at him again and he caught her arm, sending her to the ground, twisting her arm behind her back and holding the knife to her neck. "Yield?"

She struggled for a moment, wincing at the pain. He liked her, but that didn't mean he'd go easy on her...much. "Okay, I yield," she gave up and he released her. "I really thought I'd catch you off guard." She tested her arm, rotating her shoulder.

"It was smart. The element of surprise can give a great advantage."

"But you saw it coming."

"From a mile away. You might want to work on your poker face."

She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Very mature, Petra." He held out a hand, feeling his heart jump when she slid her hand into his, and he pulled her to her feet. "Do you want to go again?"

Levi decided he liked sparring with Petra a lot more than Oluo, who was the only person that challenged him regularly. She was eager to learn and faster and craftier than Oluo, which made it more fun for Levi, too.

That night, all of his roommates were either settling in to go to sleep or finishing up their conversations so Levi hastened to wrap up the letter to Ms. Biel before it was curfew. He had promised to write once in a while. Now that he had some things he could write about and wasn't feeling like he was going to drop dead at the end of each day, he could send a proper letter. And he wanted to know how Rascal was doing. Out of habit he still found himself instinctively looking down for his dog at random times, to pet her or give her something from his tray that he didn't care for.

Tomorrow he'd take the letter to the administrative building to be mailed out before PT began. Slipping into his bunk, he closed his eyes, hoping to see a pretty ginger-haired girl in his dreams.

* * *

**_Please Review~ _**


	6. Rival

**Chapter 6: Rival **

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin

**Previously**: Levi joins the Training Corps and excels. He develops a crush on Petra and butts heads with Oluo, often beating him in spars and drills.

* * *

"What you hold before you is the standard issue rifle carried by the Military Police," the instructor lectured from the front of the class. "It's a flintlock musket rifle and it weighs about eighteen pounds. Go ahead and feel it, test its weight. It's not loaded, of course. You'll be dry firing it next week."

"It's almost as tall as you," Levi teased, pushing the rifle toward Petra. "Probably weighs as much, too."

"My growth spurt is going to hit any day now," she vowed.

"You're going to be sixteen in two months, right? You're done growing. I'm going be the one getting a growth spurt."

"That's what happens normally. But you never know."

"Didn't you say your dad was short?"

"My mom wasn't. It could still happen!"

Levi inspected the rifle, not all that impressed. "You have to reload it after every shot. What a waste. It's slow and tedious. This is why I prefer knives and swords."

While they checked out the rifle, the instructor wrote out the steps on how to fire it. After giving them more information on the weapon, he told them to copy down the numerous steps from the blackboard. "It goes without saying this will definitely be on the test. That will be all for today," he said and left, leaving the class to finish their notes.

"So much information," Petra muttered, scribbling it all down. Her writing was so neat and clear. It was dumb but for some reason, her elegant writing made her even more appealing to him.

"Can't be helped." Levi shrugged. "They've gotta prepare us for all three divisions. Anyway, you always do well on examinations—written and physical—so you shouldn't be complaining."

"Maybe not," she agreed. "But it's still so much work!" Petra stood and stretched once she finished with her note-taking. "How do you think everyone is ranking? I'll bet you're number one."

"It doesn't matter." Levi walked beside her. "Rankings will change during the years based on our performances. We won't know officially where we stand until the end."

"The forest trek is in a couple of days. At the end of it, they'll have an unofficial list made based on all of our scores. I wonder if I'll make it into the top ten," Petra mused.

"You will." Of that, Levi had no doubt.

"Thanks. I think you have more faith in me than I do."

"Let's hurry now. We'll be using the 3D gear in the forest today."

She gasped. "I can't believe I forgot! Let's go!" Petra harassed him into walking faster, ignoring his grumbles that they had plenty of time.

* * *

"I'll give it a shot," Oluo volunteered, stepping forward. He sent Levi a challenging look.

"I think I'll wait."

"Scared?" Oluo sneered at him.

Levi shrugged. The trainees stood outside the forest. He knew there were Titan dummies set up in a different part of the forest but that was too advanced for them yet. For now, their sole objective was to put what they'd learned in the classroom, plus last week's exercise with the 3D gear, to the test. From the way the other trainees were eyeing him, everyone expected him to be among the first to volunteer. But he was content to observe first, learn from others' mistakes before attempting it himself. It was going to be more complex than simply aiming the hooks and landing against a twenty-foot wooden, padded wall, which had been their first use of the 3D gear last week.

Much to Levi's chagrin and grudging respect, Oluo was the only one who performed well. All the rest of the volunteers were rather ungraceful. One idiot actually crashed right into a tree—many of which were padded for that very reason—instead of landing against it, inciting laughter and sympathetic sounds.

"Wow!" Petra's eyes were glued to Oluo's form the entire time.

"He's good," Nifa remarked.

Levi felt a spark of jealously. And he wanted to smack the pleased look off Oluo's face when he came swaggering back. "Hmph," Levi grunted. "Guess I'll give it a shot this time." He pulled out his swords.

"Try not to eat dirt," Oluo said, passing him by.

It was awkward at first. Adjusting to moving around without solid ground under his feet wasn't easy. Unlike some of the fools in the first group who got too cocky and went straight to moving between the trees, he kept it simple, only flying straight until he figured out how being groundless affected him. From there it was easy to weave through the trees.

Levi knew he only had to land against one tree successfully after maneuvering around a few of them—which seemed easy enough but was much harder in practice—but he flew in complex patterns and vaulted from one tree to another, egged on by the cheers. The world spun around him as he smoothly maneuvered between trees, continuing to execute moves too advanced among the trainees at this point. It came to him naturally, knowing when and exactly how to twist his body with the perfect amount of force to fly so smoothly. Finally, he completed a flip midair as he landed gracefully on his feet.

"That was exceptional maneuvering, especially for your first time," Commander Lange praised and he felt his ego swell. Until she said, "The peacocking you could have done without. You're not here to impress your girlfriend."

He felt his cheeks warm. Was he that obvious? "Yes, Commander," he said and walked away. His eyes immediately sought Petra's delighted face.

"That was the most amazing thing I'd ever seen!" Petra gushed and he almost beamed.

Nifa smiled and said, "You make it look so natural!"

"It wasn't bad." Oluo sniffed and Levi knew he was jealous—he would be too if he were in Oluo's place. "It wouldn't surprise me if you had previous training with this too like you did with CQC." Seemed Oluo hadn't let that go yet and was still using it as an excuse for why he lost all the time against him when they sparred.

Nifa appeared to be picking up on the mood between them, but Petra was oblivious. "I think I'll give it a try next. Any tips?" Petra asked.

"I'm sure you'll do great," Nifa assured her.

"Try not to hit a tree with your face."

"Very funny, Oluo."

"Make sure to brace yourself for impact and cushion it by keeping your knees bent," Levi advised her. "Also, if you clench your teeth it's gonna hurt."

There was a close call once but Petra managed to successfully stick the landing on her first try.

"I'm not surprised," Oluo commented off-handedly. "Ever since we were kids, she's always been like that. Once she gets something in her head she sees it through. We grew up together so I know her really well. Her dad really dotes on her since she's an only kid and her mother passed away years ago. So we'd play together a lot and our families became close and I swore to myself I'd stick by her side no matter where she goes."

Levi pulled his eyes away from Petra. "Huh? Did you say something?"

* * *

"After it is fired," the instructor said, "the final destination of a bullet can be changed as it can go either up or down, or left or right. It won't always shoot straight. For this rifle, the bullet is going to fall an inch for every hundred yards. To adjust for that, you have to aim higher. And the wind will also affect the trajectory of the bullet. You must compensate for those two things. They are called windage and elevation adjustments."

Levi copied down the definitions and the diagrams the instructor put on the blackboard before moving on to the different shooting positions—prone, crouching, lying, standing. As the instructor went over things like how to test the wind speed and equations and angles, Levi felt his head spin. And they were only just going over it in class. _It's going to be even harder when we actually practice shooting_. Shooting under stress out in the real would be the hardest.

From their dry-firing practice, he had a good idea of what the kickback was going to be like. Initially, they were to start by firing at targets set up twenty yards away. Then fifty. Then a hundred. One hundred and thirty yards were also available for any talented trainees, if there were any skilled shooters among them who wanted to take a stab at it and earn a marksmen badge.

Levi's success at shooting didn't come as quickly as the majority of the other exercises they'd done, which relied heavily on physicality. Still, he was doing pretty well. By the time they were done, his shoulder felt sore and he'd exponentially cut down on the amount of time it took to reload the rifle after making the shot.

"Finally!" Petra rubbed her shoulder. "Time to eat. I'm starving." The expectant way she was staring at him made him realize she was waiting on him.

Normally, before mealtimes, they had drills or other training exercises with all of the trainees present. The class was the one time he and Petra were alone together. The rest of the time Oluo, Nifa, or some of her other friends were with her so they would all go to the mess hall together. He never really felt comfortable joining them and would drift off by himself. It made him feel like a third wheel to their group when he was around them so he usually sat by himself.

"We've never eaten together," she continued, either obvious or ignoring his uncertainty. "It'll be nice."

When they reached the mess hall and grabbed dinner, Oluo waved to Petra. There was one only spot open at the table, next to Nifa. "Enjoy your dinner," Levi excused himself. Right as he sat down, she took a spot across from him at the fairly empty table. Two other trainees were sitting there but on the other end, fully engrossed in their own conversation. "Don't you want to sit with your friends?" Levi asked.

"I am sitting with a friend."

He grunted, hiding a smile. "How is your father doing?" Often times they talked about military-related subjects, but only occasionally did they venture into details about their personal lives beyond surface-level things like where they were from or if they had any siblings. Levi wanted to know more about Petra, get to know her better.

"He's accepted my decision, finally," Petra told him happily. "He was disappointed I didn't apprentice under him to eventually take over the family business and grudgingly supported my decision to join the Training Corps when I left, but now he's finally fully accepted it. Though he asked I give all of the divisions a fair shot and really consider the pros and cons before picking one."

"That's good that he's fully supporting you. The man who raised me would probably suffer an aneurysm at my decision to join the Military Police," Levi said, thoroughly amused imagining what face Kenny would have made at that.

Petra quirked an eyebrow. She was the only one he'd told about him growing up in an orphanage. Not that orphans were rare in the military—quite the opposite—but simply because he didn't interact with the other trainees all that often. And when he did, it wasn't about their personal lives.

"It was before he left me at the orphanage," Levi explained. It was probably even more confusing to her now. "He wasn't family. He just took me in after my mother died and raised me for five years."

"Is he the one who taught you how to fight?"

"He is. He was a piece of work but he did teach me some useful shit. Ironically, I'll be able to use those skills in the Military Police, the one division he held a grudge against."

Petra smiled and asked, "And how is Ms. Rascal?"

That immediately brought a genuine smile to his face. Any mention of his dog always softened him up. "She's doing well. She loves the farm and has taken to protecting the chickens." He launched into some of his and Rascal's exploits during his years at the orphanage and Petra listened keenly, laughing at some of the shenanigans they pulled.

Levi was greatly disappointed when the bell signaling the end of dinner sounded. He walked Petra back to the women's barracks as she finished sharing a story from her childhood about the time she ran into a pond to avoid getting stung.

"...wasps are just assholes," she said, fully convinced. "One particularly stubborn little bastard actually stuck around and waited for me, can you believe it? While his buddies left, he stayed behind and lulled me into a sense of security and attacked when I had my guard down, on my way back home. Asshole."

"Must have hurt like hell," he said sympathetically, remembering the time he was stung by a bee.

Petra yawned suddenly and he swore he'd never seen anything cuter in his life. "I better go get some shut-eye. You too. We're gonna need it for tomorrow."

It was their first long trek through the woods carrying full packs. Typically they ran five miles around the courtyard of the training camp shouldering heavy packs. But this was going to be much harder, hiking through the forest with its bumpy path full of twisted roots and rocks, and it was inclined ground at that with the air thinning the higher you went. By the end of the trek, unofficial rankings would be made. The ranking order wouldn't be available to the trainees but knowing they were being tested and scored added another stress factor to the trek.

_I've just enough time to shower before curfew,_ Levi thought_._ After showering—he had long since become immune to public nudity and showering in full view of his fellow trainees—he slipped into bed, reviewing his conversation with Petra before falling into easy sleep. Back at the orphanage, he used to take an hour or longer to fall asleep. Being worked to the bone and the strict sleep schedule did wonders to improve his sleeping habits.

* * *

For the first time, Levi was beaten. Rather, he wasn't the best among the trainees at something.

"Looks like you've got the makings of a sharpshooter," one of their instructors said to Petra.

"Thank you, ma'am."

Levi was a great shot for the most part. But he couldn't quite measure up to Petra and another one of the trainees when it came to marksmanship. He was still one of the best so it didn't bother him. "You should join the Military Police. These skills of yours will be better utilized there," he said to Petra. Guns were useless against Titans and the Garrison had no need of them to maintain the Walls. And if she earned a marksmen badge her chances of being placed in the top ten would improve greatly. Not that he doubted she wasn't already on that list.

"Maybe. My father would definitely be overjoyed to hear that."

Later that afternoon at lunch, Oluo had a haughty look on his face when he joined them. "So, I heard the great Levi finally got knocked off his pedestal. How's it feel not being first for a change?" Oluo taunted him gleefully.

"Better than almost shooting myself in the foot," Levi retorted without missing a beat.

"What?" Petra didn't miss the way Oluo flinched in embarrassment. "Did that really happen?"

Nifa, who had told Levi the story, coughed and looked away to avoid Oluo's accusing glare. "My rifle jammed," he said defensively.

"And it went off when he had it pointed at his toes while he messed with a fully loaded weapon. Genius move, really," Levi deadpanned.

"You had your finger on the trigger?" Petra asked, dismayed. "The first two things they taught us was not to have the finger on the trigger or point a loaded gun unless you meant to fire!"

"Well," Nifa said, trying to be nice, "he didn't actually mean to point it at his toes."

"Which means he wasn't aware where his fully loaded rifle was pointing," Levi countered.

Oluo glowered. "It was just one slip-up and no one was hurt!"

"Except your pride," Levi reminded him helpfully, earning a scowl.

"Are you ever going to forget this?" Oluo asked Petra hopefully.

"Not a chance," she replied, smiling toothily.

* * *

"Please don't rain," one of the trainees begged the dark sky. "Please. Just don't rain."

Another one groaned in agreement. "I really don't wanna get wet."

"This is gonna be hard enough as it is without getting rained on," a third one grumbled.

Levi silently agreed with them.

Shouldering large, heavy packs, the trainees stood and awaited the commander's signal to begin the hike. "You'll have three and a half hours to complete the trek," Commander Lange said, atop her horse. "This is a graded exercise. If you're not able to complete it within that timeframe, it will negatively impact your score, thus your ranking."

Every six months after today they would be tested on a trek through the woods with full gear, and the time provided was going to be cut down every time. There would be more treks between those but they wouldn't be graded. The purpose of those would be to help them gain more endurance and prepare them for the graded ones.

Everyone was wise enough to start off at a good pace, slow enough to conserve energy for later but fast enough to ensure the instructors wouldn't yell at them. No one was stupid enough to make a mad dash now and struggle later when the ground began to incline and became riddled with fallen branches and roots and rocks, ready to trip them. In any case, it wasn't a race.

Oluo had other ideas.

Levi ran by himself until his rival joined him, matching his slow jog. "Wanna have a little competition?" Oluo asked.

"You're not going to beat me at whatever challenge you're going to present to me now," Levi replied. "Why set yourself up for failure? Do you just like being a loser? Is that it?"

"Sounds to me like you're scared, Ackerman."

Levi scoffed. "I could be half-starved and still outlast you."

"Wanna bet?" Oluo challenged.

"Fine. You're on. But don't cry to me later if you exhaust yourself in some moronic bid to beat me and end up unable to finish the trek within the allotted time."

"First one to reach that fork in the trail with the two fallen trees wins."

Levi knew the landmark Oluo was referring to. It was just under a mile away. On the count of three, the two took off, weaving through the trainees who were pacing themselves. It seemed to light a fire under some of them as they began to move quicker, too.

As Levi predicted, he was able to outmatch Oluo with ease. He could hear the boy's tiredness as they neared their goal. Just to rub it in his face, Levi ran faster, leaving Oluo behind just to show him he could. With a smug look, he waited for a wheezing Oluo to reach him, taking the chance to sit on a fallen log and rest since there were no instructors or trainees around. "Took you long enough."

Once he caught his breath, Oluo growled, "Best two out of three!"

"Maybe later," Levi said disinterestedly, taking off at an easy pace as he spotted the oncoming trainees.

Deliberately Levi slowed down so he could wait for Petra without making it too obvious. A couple of instructors rode along with the large group near the middle while the commander yelled at those who lagged behind the main group, telling them to pick up the pace.

"There you are," Petra said, running alongside Nifa. "Where'd you run off to?"

"Oluo challenged me to a race. And although it goes without saying, he lost."

Nifa shook her head. "He does realize this isn't about speed, doesn't he?"

"Nope, it's about his continued efforts in failing to beat me at anything." Levi side-eyed Petra, wondering if she'd figured it out yet. Why her childhood friend kept challenging him. Her next words confirmed she had not.

"He can be competitive sometimes but I've never seen him take it to this extent. He sure has become more competitive since joining the military."

_He's trying to impress you_. Levi wondered what would happen if he told her that. Would she start to see Oluo in a new more favorable light? As a potential romantic partner? Or become uncomfortable because she only felt platonically toward him? She might just not believe Levi. For someone so good with people, she was not very perceptive when it came to male advances unless her admirers were being blatantly obvious. It was pretty entertaining sometimes to watch boys ask her out and deflate as it flew completely over her head.

Antsy for more action, he sped up, leaving the girls behind. It didn't take him long to catch up to Oluo, who was surprised at his sudden appearance, probably thinking Levi had tired himself out and thought he might be able to finish the trek before him. "Ready to lose again?" Levi asked.

It wasn't as easy the second time. He had to put more effort and pump his legs harder against the angled and messy ground. He felt like being kind of a dick and slowed, letting Oluo catch up and think he had a chance before leaving him far behind. "Need a breather, Grandpa?" Levi smirked when Oluo finally caught up to him.

"Fuck...you..." Oluo huffed out, face red.

"I don't swing that way."

Once again he moved slowly, resting up. It gave the rest of the trainees time to catch up. The thin mountain air was fully taking its toll on them. Levi could feel it, too. His breathing came faster to compensate for it. He kept an even pace for the rest of the trek, focusing on keeping his breathing steady and trying to enjoy the beautiful forest. The instructors kept them updated on how much time and distance was left so he knew he would pass easily.

"One last time," Oluo said stubbornly, never mind that Levi had already won twice.

"Let's go," Levi agreed. If Oluo wanted to punish himself for no good reason, who was he to refuse him?

The two began to weave through the other trainees for the third time. They shot them annoyed looks, whether it was out of jealousy for being able to run or for making them feel more tired by forcing them to watch as they ran, Levi didn't know. _Where's Petra? _He slowed down, letting Oluo take the lead until he and Petra were side by side. _She needs to work on her endurance more_. The trek was clearly taking a big toll on her.

"Breathe through both your nose and your mouth, not just your mouth," Levi told her and Nifa. It was something Kenny had told him. "It'll bring in more oxygen." He wanted to do something more but they were being tested and he didn't want to get them all in trouble. More than that, Petra would hate him trying to help her out, make her feel weak and incompetent. So he left it at that and started to gain on Oluo. Then he thought better of it. No point in making his lungs burn more than they already were. And to what end? Like Nifa had said, it wasn't about who finished first. _And I've already won two out of the three times so victory is already mine_. Levi decided he'd let Oluo have this one.

Everyone passed the exercise and were discussing rankings after Commander Lange dismissed them for the day when Levi made his way to where his crush was catching her breath.

Petra lay on the grass, holding up a weak arm to him. "Carry me."

Levi knew she was only joking. He almost wanted to do it, just to see her get flustered. How nice it would be to hold her in his arms and carry her close to him. Instead he accepted her hand and yanked her to her feet. With great reluctance, he let her go.

"I didn't think I was going to make it." Nifa breathed heavily and Petra nodded.

"You got too cocky and tired yourself out, Levi," Oluo said, coming over. "You weren't able to keep up at all the third time."

Levi knew he was going to regret letting Oluo have a win, already being forced to listen to him brag. He sighed, resigning himself to being pestered the rest of the day.

* * *

Only the sound of pencils scratching paper filled the quiet classroom. There were some deep sighs and a cough. Levi took his time, filling out the pages.

"Ten minutes left," the instructor informed them, sitting behind his desk.

Some of the students had already finished and left early. Levi was content to take the whole time if need be. Ten or fifteen extra minutes of free time meant nothing to him compared to a high score.

"Five minutes left."

For the second time, he went back to review the answers. Every question was fully answered and he made sure to answer every part of the question. There were only a couple of things he absolutely couldn't remember but it would only cost him limited points. Content with what he had, he placed the packet on the teacher's desk and left, waiting for Petra. She emerged two minutes later. "How was it?"

"Not too horrible." Petra shrugged. "I missed half the answer on number fifteen and a couple of others."

"The one about the cannon," he said, nodding. "Yeah, I had trouble with that one, too." With zero interest in the Garrison, he had a harder time with questions relating to that division. Retaining information about them was more difficult due to how boring he found them. At least Titans and the Corps were interesting, even if it wasn't to be his chosen division.

"Oh well, pretty sure I'll pass. Are you excited for next week?" Petra asked.

"We're supposed to start learning more about the laws." Levi was very much looking forward to it. "It's going to require a lot of memorization and information retention."

"No, not that. We have two days off," Petra said excitedly. "Are you going to visit the orphanage?"

"Oh." He made a face and shook his head. "No. There's only one person there I like and she'll be too busy taking care of the kids."

"Do you want to come to town with me for a few hours, then?"

"Sure, sounds fun," he replied cooly, not betraying his excitement.

"Oluo's birthday is coming up in a month so it'll be my only chance to get him a gift," Petra went on cheerily. "I was worried I might be late in gifting him. But it'll work out perfectly."

Levi nodded, trying not to be hurt she forgot his birthday was less than three weeks away. It was before Oluo's. And he remembered hers was tomorrow. Then again, how would she even know? She was his closest—note: only—friend so it wasn't like she could listen to his other friends talk about it and find out, which was how he had learned when her's was. Levi wondered if he should have mentioned it to her in passing so she'd know. _Don't be so pathetic_. But he badly craved a gift from her. Anything she gave him he'd cherish. She could pick a pretty pebble from the ground and he'd love it.

The following day he saw Oluo rush out of the barracks. Levi frowned when Oluo wished her a happy birthday and gave her a small package. It was still a few minutes before the commander arrived so Petra opened the brown paper, revealing a hair ribbon with a gaudy butterfly.

_She's not a child. And her hair's too short for it_. Levi thought pettily. When was she ever going to need such a useless thing?

"My mom sent it," Oluo said, beaming.

"It's so soft and silky." Petra stored it away in her jacket's inner pocket. "Thank your mom for taking the time to get it for me."

Oluo was clearly pleased. "It was no trouble. You know she adores you like a daughter."

Levi didn't get a chance to speak to Petra until later. He had nothing for her but polite words, wishing her a happy sixteenth birthday while Nifa excitedly gave her a present.

Unlike Oluo or Nifa, he didn't have a family who could get her something on his behalf. The thought made him bitter but there was nothing to be done there.

Maybe he could purchase a present during their trip into town next week. But it would be a week late. Still, better late than never.

Now he had a new quandary: _What do I get her?_

* * *

**_Please Review~ _**


	7. Gift

**Chapter 7: Gift **

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin

**Previously**: Levi and Oluo start competing more often. Petra remains oblivious it's over her. Levi feels disappointed about not being able to get her something for her birthday on time.

* * *

_What do you give your crush for her birthday? _Levi had been mulling it over for almost a week now and still didn't have an answer.

Unfortunately, it was too late to ask Ms. Biel—he had decided it was worth her teasing if she also gave him some ideas. Mail day was once a month so he wouldn't be able to get her reply until the week after he and Petra went to town. It was bad enough he was going to be late giving her a gift but he didn't want to get her something she wouldn't like on top of it.

What did Petra like? Levi reviewed as he mindlessly cleaned and oiled his gear._ She likes sweets, animals, cute things, practical things_. He could get her candy. Except Nifa and a couple of others had already done that. A pet was out for obvious reasons. Should he ask her outright what she wanted? No, that wouldn't do.

_I need to get her the perfect gift._ It had to be something she could use every day. Something beautiful and elegant but also cheap and practical. She would always remember it and love it and cherish it because no one had ever gotten her something so perfect in her life ever.

Finished assembling his gear, he stashed it away and changed into civilian clothes. It was a surprisingly warm day for December, for which he was grateful. He had outgrown the one winter coat he'd brought and a new one was the main reason he told Petra he was accompanying her. He pulled on the dark sweater that still fit since Ms. Biel had anticipated he'd grow into it and made him a larger size.

Most of the trainees were heading home to see their families for the two days off, but none were staying behind at the camp as they were headed to town to explore. Petra waited for him by the fence, which was about thirty yards from the entrance of the camp. She was holding the reins to two horses. Her back was to him so she didn't notice him approach, or stare.

When he saw her his eyes were at once drawn to her exposed shoulders. The ruffled, short-sleeved white blouse she wore left her neck and shoulders mostly bare. Only the black vest she wore over the blouse provided limited coverage. He was quite taken by the smooth, creamy skin he saw. He swallowed, realizing his mouth was going dry.

"Levi, are you ready?" Petra asked and he got to glimpse her lovely neck and collarbones.

"Thanks for waiting," he replied, clearing his throat.

They rode the horses into town, leaving them tied to hitching posts. The entire ride he'd had to keep his attention from straying to her skin.

"Where do you want to go first?" Levi asked, wondering what she was going to get Oluo for his birthday.

"I know about this one shop that makes the most beautiful musical instruments."

"Oluo plays?" That was a surprise to Levi.

"No, there's a shop right next to it that I want to go to. I'm getting him a customized beer mug with his name on it. A friend of mine said his sister-in-law runs the place and she can do it pretty fast. So I can go place the order now and it'll be done by the time we finish looking around town and complete our shopping."

"Works for me."

Levi enjoyed their casual stroll and wished she would hold his arm like all the couples he saw walking around. Alas, she was blind to his feelings for her and he was scared of expressing them. She showed no interest in romance whatsoever. And he did not want to lose what they had in case she became uncomfortable if he told her he liked her, but she didn't feel the same way about him.

Petra led him to different shops and he was content to follow her around. He liked how her eyes sparkled when she was excited, the little quirk of her eyebrows when she was curious, and the pretty smile anytime she spotted something she liked. If only he had money. He would have bought her everything that delighted her and savored her joy. Unfortunately, the stipend they earned as trainees was pathetic, to put it mildly. Since they were as low as one could be in the military hierarchy—and because the government provided them with food, shelter, medicine, and clothing—their earrings reflected that in their meager wages. With the trainees' necessities taken care of, there was no reason for the Royal Government to pay them a decent wage. But once they became full-fledged soldiers and joined a division, their pay would be raised. And the Military Police got the best pay out of all of them.

Levi hungered for that salary. For everything the position would bring him: money, prestige, a comfortable life. After the poverty-stricken childhood he had, and even the orphanage where he was raised on bland food and secondhand clothes and toys and books, he deserved the easy living the Military Police would give him. He was slaving every day for that future.

Levi began daydreaming of a beautiful house with his beloved dog. Their home would be spacious and beautiful, filled with all new furniture and clothes plus a fully stocked kitchen and pantry. The only thing left was a woman to spend the rest of his life with. Marriage was still a distant thought, though. He felt far too young for that. He wasn't even twenty yet. But someday he'd like to settle down with a sweet woman, preferably one that had soft red hair.

"What're you thinking about?" Petra interrupted his fantasy. "Is it something good?"

_Yes, you. Us._ Levi shrugged and said, "Just lunch. There's a place I know that has the best baked potato with butter and cheese and bacon and chives—"

Petra groaned. "You're making my mouth water."

"We can go there for lunch. We've got time."

"I don't know if I brought enough money. I was planning to do a little bit more shopping."

"I'll pay. Don't worry about owing me. Next time we get a day off, you can pay for my lunch."

"Alright then."

Levi mentally patted himself. Not only for getting her to agree but also for arranging another meal with her. At lunch, he spent more time enjoying watching her eat than he did savoring his own food, which was one of his favorite things to eat.

After they ate, Petra tried to banish him and told him to look around by himself so she could be alone.

"But why?" Levi asked, confused, wondering if he'd done something.

"Because there are certain lady things I need to buy and I can't have you hanging around."

It was then he noticed they were standing in front of a shop selling undergarments. Feeling brave, he said, "It's okay. We can go in together. I'll be very quiet and you won't even know I'm there."

"Levi!" Petra gasped, laughing, and pushed him away. "Just go. Shoo!"

Pleased at her reaction, Levi thought maybe he needed to be bold more. After purchasing a new winter coat, he walked around, trying not to let his mind wander. He failed. Images of Petra in a lacy bra and matching panties continued to follow him. It wouldn't matter how fast or how far he walked, he couldn't escape his own imagination. It was a wonder he didn't get a boner. _Stop perving out and use this opportunity to find her a present._

Nothing truly jumped out at him as extraordinary. There were so many things he thought she would like but it wasn't enough. He needed to get the perfect gift but it had to be within his budget, too. Why was it so hard to find?

When Petra finally found him she was carrying a new bag. "Are you ready?" She reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear and he fought hard not to stare at her slender neck.

On their way back to pick up Oluo's gift, he noticed the things she admired. _She has simple taste_. While her eyes were drawn to expensive and luxurious items, she did also like simpler things.

Instead of fretting over getting her the perfect gift, he needed to buy her something simple and cute that she would like. Otherwise he was never going to be able to find her anything. Much as he disliked to admit it, his imaginary "perfect" gift for her didn't exist. And if it did, it probably wouldn't be in his budget. _Just get her something that will put a smile on her face_. Else at the rate he was going she wasn't going to get a present at all.

"Do you like it?" Levi said when Petra stopped again by a stall to inspect the trinkets on display. He could tell she badly wanted to buy something but she had spent all her money on gifts for other people. Typical.

"The color is so pretty," she said, holding a thin silver necklace with a round jewel-like stone in a mesmerizing shade of amber. Petra inquired about the necklace's price and was disappointed. The stall owner offered to sell it to her for less but she shook her head and thanked him, starting to walk away.

_It matched her eyes perfectly_. Levi decided to act on impulse. "I'll take it," he said, pulling out the money.

"You don't have to—"

"Consider it a late birthday present." He could tell she was torn but her resolve crumbled when he put the dainty necklace in her hands.

The stall owner had the nerve to quote the original price to Levi.

"But you just offered it to her for less," Levi argued, frowning. Did the man think he was deaf?

"Yes, but she's a pretty girl," he replied cheerfully, winking at Petra, who giggled.

_Swarmy bastard knows I have to have it_. Levi grumbled under his breath but agreed, ignoring Petra's protests. "Here," he said grudgingly, thrusting the cash out, mentally wincing.

Surprisingly, the stall owner honored the price he offered Petra and handed Levi the change. "Why don't you take your sweetheart and buy her a brown butter apple tart at that bakery next to the glass blowing shop over there? I promise it's the most delicious thing you'll ever eat. You'll love it."

"He'll do it," Petra agreed cheerfully on Levi's behalf, taking his arm and pulling him away.

Meanwhile Levi tried not to overthink the fact she didn't correct the man about the sweetheart assumption. He glanced down at their linked arms—both in question and to get an eyeful of her naked skin. He was shameless. "So, you're my sweetheart now?"

"If that was what it took to get your the bargain." Petra eyed the bakery longingly when they passed by it.

Levi stopped. "Okay, then, _sweetheart_, fancy a brown butter apple tart?"

She removed her arm from his and he tried not to show his disappointment. "You really don't have to."

"But I'm curious to see what it tastes like." That was partially the truth. He did want to try it. But he also wanted her to taste it. "Do you want to share one? I don't know if it'll taste good and I'd rather not waste money."

"If you're sure. Next time when I buy you lunch I'll get you something sweet afterward, too."

The bakery was warm and smelled like heaven. An assortment of colorful, delicious, and mouth-watering tarts and pies and cakes and confections were on display. Levi asked for the brown butter apple tart and while the baker packed it, he asked Petra, "Aren't you going to wear the necklace?"

"Can you hold these for me really quick?" Petra handed him the bags and put the necklace on while he stood still, very conscious of the fact there was a very thin barrier between him and Petra's new undergarments inside one of the bags he was clutching to his chest. "How does it look?" She smiled for him, tilting her neck.

Levi knew he was going to want to hold on to this image and memorized every detail. "Looks great," he said, loving how the pretty amber necklace sat on her delicate collarbones. It also brought out the gold in her eyes. Levi paid for the treat and the baker complimented the necklace.

When Petra mentioned they just bought it from the elderly stall owner just down the street and he was the one who recommended the bakery, the woman laughed. "I see my father-in-law is at it again."

_Sneaky old codger. _Levi thought.

Their last stop was the shop where Oluo's newly customized beer mug awaited.

"Why does it say 'Beaver?'" Levi hadn't paid enough attention when they were here earlier, it had been drawn to the lovely pieces on display instead.

"It's a thing between us," was all she said.

Levi tried to squash his jealously, knowing he was being ridiculous. It was to be expected considering they grew up together.

Soon they returned to the hitching posts to retrieve their horses and he was disappointed their time together was already over.

"This was fun," Petra said, storing away her bags in her horse's saddle. "We should do it again on our next days off. I owe you lunch and a baked treat."

"I'd like that. Enjoy your weekend."

"Thanks. You too. I'll see you in a couple of days." With that, Petra bid him farewell and took off.

When Levi returned to camp, it was oddly empty. Used to all the trainees running around, it now looked a little sad to him. But it was also very peaceful. He looked forward to another day of sleeping in and slacking off. He still planned on working out and training with his 3D gear, not to mention his shooting skills could be improved as well, but he'd have time to slack off and would go back into town again.

Thinking about the pretty necklace sitting against Petra's warm skin, Levi went on to grab his 3D gear with a satisfied smile on his face. He'd prefer to have gotten her something unique but he'd take the delighted smile the necklace brought her.

* * *

It was with some difficulty that Levi held back his yawn. He was getting tired of class and wished it would hurry up and end already. He was more excited to go camping out in the forest. But the instructor continued to drone on and on with his never-ending lecture.

"I'm seeing some glazed eyes," the instructor said to the silent classroom. "I think this should get your blood pumping: pop quiz! I'll go over all the topics we covered this week from laws to survival training."

It was the last week of December. Half a year had passed since the 97th Training Corps class began and they knew better than to groan out loud. That was unbecoming of soldiers. His class had made that mistake once at the beginning and as a result, they'd suffered physical punishment for their undisciplined behavior in the form of five laps around the courtyard outside.

Certainly the class was fully awake now as the instructor began calling them one by one, asking a question as he scanned his packet of material. If they got the answer correct, five points. Otherwise, if they got it wrong, it was a zero. It wouldn't make or break their final scores but it was tough not knowing when you might be picked and put on the spot in front of the entire class.

"Ral," the instructor called out.

"Yes, sir."

"What's the emergency treatment for a snake bite?"

"Wrap a clean and sterile bandage firmly around the bite. Don't pour alcohol on it or cut it. Make sure to keep the heart above it. The person bit should not walk or move as it'll make the venom circulate faster."

"Good," he said, pleased. "Remember that for your camping trip, everyone. Occasionally someone gets bit and there are poisonous snakes out there so you want to remember this. It's important to correctly identify the snake because administering the wrong antivenin will get you killed. So covering the bite isn't just to slow the circulation, it's also because the venom can be used to identify the snake and get the correct medicine in case you didn't see what bit you."

Levi noticed Petra began doodling when the instructor's attention shifted to someone in the back. _Impressive_, he thought, seeing her draw a very realistic snake. He wished he had artistic talent like that. He'd love to draw her all day long.

As if sensing his attention was straying, the instructor selected him. "Ackerman, what is the sentence for possession of illegal drugs?"

That was right up his alley as a future MP. "If there's no intent to distribute, then three to five years."

"Excellent. Intent to distribute carries a much higher sentence than simply having the drugs and using them."

At least now that he was done he was free to daydream, no longer having to worry about being caught off guard. Levi knew he should pay attention still, but he was feeling unusually bored. The upcoming camping trip seemed more interesting. They were going to ride out deep into the woods and were expected to build shelter, start a fire, hunt their own food, and set up watch. It was a lot more fun than sitting around a classroom listening to a lecture.

Petra was of the same mind. "It's supposed to prepare us for the overnight expeditions that the Survey Corps sometimes does. I heard some of the instructors pretended to be Titans and attacked the campsite with the last class."

Levi didn't buy it for a second. "That's just a dumb rumor," he snorted. "Titans aren't active at night. That's a pointless exercise. And obviously, there's no humans outside Wall Maria, either. The instructors don't have any reason to run around in the middle of the cold night trying to scare us."

"True," she agreed. "I've never been hunting before. That should be fun. Have you?"

"I chased after Rascal once when she chased a squirrel up a tree. Does that count?"

"Depends." Petra grinned. "Did you catch the squirrel?"

"No. But I swear the fucker flipped us off."

Some of Petra's friends fell in step with them on their way to 3D gear training. Levi had learned to get along with them decently. It was easy to talk about what they were learning and such, so their interactions were limited to those topics. With a scoff, Levi realized he had more interaction—as in, outside the surface-level talking—with Oluo than he did with the rest of their class. Nifa was easy to talk to also. Undeniably, though, it was Oluo who was the closest thing Levi had to a friend after Petra.

"What?" Petra asked him. "What're you making that face for?"

"Don't even ask."

Their training consisted of how to break a fall by doing a roll. It only took him a couple of tries to perfect. But the commander had him repeat it again and again anyway, along with the others who were still trying to learn to do it properly the first time. "So it becomes muscle memory," she explained to him. "You don't have to think about it. Your body will automatically know what to do."

Levi felt like his body already seemed to know what to do.

After lunch, they were to go get ready for the camping trip. Since they would be spending the night out there, Levi prepared accordingly.

Over an hour's ride later, they arrived. They were broken up into groups and assigned different tasks. _Gathering firewood? Seriously?_ Levi was not impressed with his assigned task.

"Have fun picking up sticks," Petra called out, waving as she and Nifa left to go with the hunting party.

"Lucky," Oluo said, stuck on tent duty.

The camping trip ended up extending an extra day but Levi didn't mind. He liked sleeping under the stars and especially because he and Petra were on the same watch shift. They weren't supposed to be talking so they kept it to a minimal, but he just liked being in her presence and he was especially thankful for being able to see how she looked bathed in the moonlight.

_Fuck, you've really got it bad for her_, Levi thought and snuck a glance at her again.

Oluo and Nifa also had the same watch but they were elsewhere around the camp. Levi was glad he could occasionally talk to Petra. Otherwise he would have been bored to tears after a couple of hours. Sometimes he caught Petra shivering. She was sensitive to the cold. He wished there was a scarf he could give her or even his own jacket—he'd freeze if he did, though. _Or you can warm her up by hugging her_. That seemed like a fine idea, too.

"Levi," Petra whispered when light began to fill the sky. It meant their watch would end soon, thank the Goddesses, and they could finally get some sleep.

"Yeah?"

"Happy 16th birthday."

"How did you know?" Levi asked, straightening against his tree.

"I have my ways," she said with a smile in her voice.

How something so small could make him go all warm from happiness he didn't know. "Thanks," he said, smiling to himself.

"I bought you a present. I hope you'll like it. You got me something that I really like," she said, hand going to her chest. "I wanted to get you something, too."

_She's wearing it? _Levi thought. Did she have it with her always? That in and of itself was present enough for him. And while that was true, he was still excited to see what she got him.

Kenny used to give him things randomly but they were tools, not presents, and definitely not for a special occasion. His mentor saw nothing all that special about birthdays, though he still did treat Levi to a large meal on the 25th of every December. Ms. Biel couldn't show favoritism so she would make small treats in secret. This time too she had baked for him. A few days ago he'd gotten a box of cookies from her plus a letter, wishing him well and sharing more stories about Rascal that she heard from her parents. No one had really bought a gift before, though, aside from his mother. But those memories had faded and dulled, partially due to his own stubbornness in refusing to bring them up.

When they returned to the training camp, Levi quickly stored away his things before going to see his crush. The women's barracks were the same as the men's. Only difference was the writing on the door that verified members of which sex were housed there.

Levi felt nervous standing before it. They were allowed to go to whichever barracks they wanted within curfew. Outside of curfew was when the hammer would come down if someone was found in a place meant for the opposite sex. The buildings with the showers and toilets were always off-limits to the opposite sex regardless of the time of day. Getting caught there if you didn't belong would mean a world of trouble.

"Over here." Petra waved when she saw him enter her room. "Come on up." She patted her mattress and moved when he started to climb up.

_I'm in her bed. I'm in her bed._ Levi sat cross-legged on her bunk. Regardless of what she got for him, he told himself he was going to act excited. Which wouldn't be too hard. Anything she gave him he'd love.

Petra held out a tin box for him, staring expectantly as he opened it.

"Tea?" Okay, he could work with this. "It smells really good," he said truthfully.

"Do you like it?" Petra asked eagerly and nervously.

"I do," Levi fibbed a little. He wasn't the biggest fan of the stuff but the many flavors did interest him. Surely he'd find one he loved. "Thank you. How did you know?"

"Oluo said you like to drink it. I didn't know what flavors you'd like so I guessed."

Oluo had heard him make a comment once and teased him for a week about Levi acting like some snooty nobleman, sipping tea with his pinky sticking out and all. "I haven't tried this flavor yet," Levi said. "Good choice."

She beamed and said, "I'm so glad!"

* * *

Levi drew the curtain of his bunk, hiding from the world so he could rest in peace.

About a month or so after joining the Training Corps he'd learned why they had privacy curtains for bottom bunks—the top ones were too high for anyone to see from the ground so curtains were unnecessary up there—but there weren't doors on the shower stalls. Levi was just grateful his roommates either jerked off elsewhere or were very discreet about it. Admittedly he had come close a couple of times and almost given into the temptation himself. Fear of being caught and the resulting embarrassment had won out in the end.

Thankfully, the room was empty now. Majority of the trainees were hanging around the mess hall before they'd have to retire for the night. He'd left early, feeling a headache coming. A small painkiller from the infirmary and resting his eyes for half an hour ensured the annoying pain in the back of his head didn't turn into a pounding headache.

Levi pondered between lazying about here or returning to the mess hall and hanging out with Petra and her friends. It was the beginning of the new year, 841, and they had been talking about their goals for the year when he'd left. Levi still considered them Petra's friends despite getting to know some of them better.

Regrettably, his peace was interrupted by a group coming in. He sighed, hearing them gather together not too far from him, instead of going to their respective bunks. If they were sitting together it meant they planned to talk for a while. But they weren't being overly loud so he could tune them out as he cleaned his switchblade.

One word suddenly caught his attention.

"...about Petra?"

Levi perked up at the mention of his crush.

"She's definitely one of my top five."

"Petra is very pretty and cute. She could almost be considered beautiful."

_Almost_ be considered beautiful? Clearly that dumbass was blind and soft in the head, Levi decided irately.

"Her body is a ten, though."

_Maybe he's not a complete moron_. Levi thought. _Her body is definitely a ten_.

"Yeah, she's short but her legs are long and her abs are the best, hands down."

"Dude, she's totally stacked, too. Definitely my type."

"Those tits are a gift to humanity," one said reverently.

_Damn straight they are._ Levi smirked to himself. His eyes may have wandered from time to time. But he didn't want them fawning over her body so much and felt tempted to drag them down and kick their asses. Levi was well aware he was being a complete and total hypocrite.

"How big do you think they are?"

"Bigger than your balls, that's for damn sure."

"Yeah, yeah, I know I don't have a shot. Can't a guy dream?"

They continued discussing the other beautiful girls among the 97th Training Corps. It probably wasn't the first time they'd had this discussion and Levi was sure it wouldn't be the last.

Anatomy of the opposite sex was a popular and common topic among his age group. Such enthusiasm and curiosity was to be expected when they had to live around each other and went through puberty. They were training and reaching adulthood together. Levi had heard more than his fair share of these discussions.

Petra sometimes teased him about being part bird because of his skills with the 3D gear, but she didn't know how accurate she was in a way. Unknown to the rest of them, he liked to perch high up in trees, where it was quiet and secluded, providing him some privacy and calm. Such a position also led him to accidentally spy on people without meaning to. Twice he had heard a group of girls have the same discussion and Levi, to his smugness, had been one of the boys they talked about both times. They'd laugh and giggle as they discussed which of the boys they thought were good-looking, commented on whose abs they liked, who had a better ass, and what they thought someone's dick size was.

While his positive image among the girls had stroked his ego, Levi was bummed out Petra wasn't among them. He would have liked to hear what she thought of him. Or if she had another guy on the mind. Maybe learn what type of guy she was into and which parts of the male anatomy appealed to her the most. He had heard she liked tall men and hoped puberty would come through for him.

The conversation circled back to Petra. It was the same guy who had wondered about her chest size, her admirer who admitted he didn't have much of a chance. "Do you think Petra's into blonds?" There was a hopeful note in his voice.

"Buddy, give it up. She's never going to give you the time of day."

"Actually," another one piped in, "she might because she's so friendly. Just don't get the wrong idea. She's smart and capable so she'll never see _you_ in a romantic way."

"Petra's out of your league. Besides, don't you know who you're competing against?"

_Who?! _Levi demanded in his head, sitting up, unashamedly eavesdropping now rather than being an unwilling snoop. Who did they believe their lovesick friend would have to defeat to be worthy of Petra's attention and affection? Who was the guy this neutral and unbiased group thought had a shot with her? He strained his ears, half hopeful half scared.

"There's no point in even trying."

"Yeah, you don't stand a chance against Levi."

The urge to grin like an idiot hit him. Levi felt a smug sense of satisfaction knowing they thought there could be something between him and Petra. That he was a contender for her heart and she would pick him and no one else stood a chance so they need not even bother.

"Nah, it's totally Oluo."

And his triumphant victory was immediately soured. _Which fucker said that? _Sounded like Jan, the imbecile who had crashed against the tree during one of their first 3D gear exercises.

"You guys are the worst friends," Petra's admirer complained. "Thanks so much for your support. Assholes."

"We're just doing you a favor now so you don't get your little heart shattered and cry into your pillow after Petra rejects you."

The conversation turned to good-natured ribbing and Levi lay back down, hands behind his head, losing interest.

_Oluo_, he scoffed in his head. Why would she pick him? Sure they knew each since they were kids, had a good relationship and liked each other, were on good terms with the other person's family, and Oluo was pretty strong and capable and loyal—

Levi made a face at where his thoughts were going. All he was doing was making a better case of why Petra might choose Oluo. He was only ruining his own mood.

_Oluo's not her type,_ he thought pettily. As if he knew anything about her type. _Just shut up and go to sleep_, he told himself before he got a headache again.

* * *

**_Please Review~ _**


	8. Exposed

**Chapter 8: Exposed **

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin

**Previously**: Levi and Petra go into town. He buys her a necklace. The trainees go camping. Petra gets Levi tea. Levi overhears his roommates talk about Petra's body and her suitors.

* * *

"Good technique, Petra."

"Thanks, Nifa."

"Will you be staying tomorrow?" Levi asked once Petra was done, Nifa going off to get some water. "Or do you plan on visiting your father?"

She joined him on the ground from where he had been spectating the fight. "I'm staying."

"What about Oluo?"

"He's going," she said and he cheered internally.

As they talked he learned the people Petra usually hung out with were also all leaving and Levi began to look forward to tomorrow. A lot of the trainees were planning on heading home to see their loved ones, but, since they were only getting one day off, there would still be plenty of people around the training camp. Nonetheless, Levi was excited he and Petra could finally have some alone time. It was always fun going into town with her so maybe they could spend the entire day there. Or maybe they could hang around the camp all day and laze about.

Oluo sauntered over to them. "Slacking off, are we?"

"I'm stretching, duh," Petra said, reaching out to touch her toes in emphasis.

Levi shrugged. "No one really wants to spar with me. Unless you've decided you haven't suffered enough defeat at my hands. Wait, you didn't come to challenge me, did you? You haven't even—no wait, you have managed to land _some_ weak hits on me here and there. I guess that's _something_."

Oluo's eyes flickered over to Petra, probably debating what would sting his pride more: listening to Levi badmouth him in front of his crush or losing to his rival right in front of her.

"Don't listen to him, Oluo. He's just trying to goad you into a fight. CQC doesn't factor into scores for ranking, but it does improve your standing in the instructors' eyes so you should spar with Jan or Bella. Don't fight Levi."

Levi bit back a grin. Petra thought she was helping her childhood friend by giving him good advice. But having the woman he liked say something that implied she thought he wasn't good enough, that Levi was the better man, it would rile up Oluo more than anything that could come out of Levi's mouth.

Predictably Oluo's wounded pride made him throw down the gauntlet.

That was fine with Levi.

"I have no problem putting you in your place," Levi told him once they moved a short distance away from Petra. "I like her too so I have no issues pounding your face into the ground in front of her." It was his first time confessing to someone, and verbally admitting, that he liked Petra. But Oluo already had to know about his feelings. Levi thought about the conversation he had heard the other night. _There's no way she'll pick him over me_. But it still made him want to show Oluo up in front of the woman they bought adored.

Oluo didn't bat an eyelash at the confession. "We'll see about that," he said. There was a confident but not arrogant gleam in his eyes. Soon it became apparent Oluo had been working to improve himself. He was faster and using moves they hadn't been taught yet.

_Where did he learn this?_ Levi was suddenly caught off guard. He jerked back more in surprise than pain when Oluo's punch connected.

"What's the matter, Mr. Hotshot? Weren't you going to knock me into the ground?"

"Nice one, Oluo!" Petra cheered from the sidelines.

Eyes narrowed, Levi felt a surge of annoyance at being punched, a rush of embarrassment that Petra saw it, and anticipation at getting even. "You got one punch in and you think it's over?"

Done holding back, he took to the offensive. Levi swatted Oluo's attacks until he had pushed the other boy where he wanted him to be. Oluo made the next part easy when he threw a wide punch. Ducking it, Levi caught the arm and swung Oluo until he was facing Petra and shouldered Oluo's back to send him to the ground, holding him there. Then he caught Oluo's free arm and twisted it behind his back, forcing both of his arms in an x shape and digging his knee into Oluo's lower back, pinning him.

"Give up?" Levi asked smugly. He tightened his grip and pushed his knee in the slightest bit. Oluo grunted in pain but kept his mouth shut.

"Just give up, Oluo, he's already won," Petra said, concern clear in her voice.

The victory was his so Levi released Oluo. No point in humiliating him further. Even Levi wasn't that much of an asshole, forcing Oluo to submit in front of his crush. Levi offered Petra a hand. "C'mon, I'll show you how it's done." He held her hand just a heartbeat longer than necessary before letting go.

Petra turned to the defeated boy. "That was impressive, Oluo. How did you improve so quickly?"

"Did you ask one of our instructors for extra lessons?" Levi guessed, recalling him hounding the silver-haired man around camp. He was tempted to say _Not that it did you any good_ but Oluo was embarrassed enough already. He didn't need to be completely humiliated.

His rival proved to be a rather stubborn foe as he bounced back pretty quickly from the defeat—whereas Levi would have sulked the entire day and felt too ashamed to look Petra in the eye—and even asked Levi to teach him the move. _He certainly doesn't know how to give up_. Annoyingly it made Levi like and respect Oluo more than he would have cared to admit.

* * *

During dinner, the commander announced they were closing the building with the men's showers and toilets for maintenance. "Half the women's showers and toilets will now be used by the male soldiers," she informed the trainees in the mess hall. "It shouldn't be crowded since most of you are planning to leave soon and many have left already for your day off tomorrow. And it goes without saying that any man or woman found somewhere meant for the opposite sex will be dealing with me."

Petra left dinner early to see Oluo and Nifa off and Levi returned to his room to grab his night clothes.

The women's shower room he stepped into mirrored the men's: a long shelf for clothes ran along the stone wall on the left and on the right were ten doorless wooden stalls. Each stall had a large round shower-head. Evening sunlight came from the five, barred windows above the stalls.

This particular shower room was empty and he was pleased to finally be able to clean himself without being in full view of other men. Even if it no longer bothered him, it was nice to have a private shower.

_So much for that,_ Levi thought when he heard the door open. But he was already done. Twisting the knob, he shut off the water and turned to reach for his towel.

Levi froze when he made eye-contact with the newcomer, stunned for a millisecond.

Petra let out a shriek and Levi swore, one hand covering his crotch while the other one reached for the towel, trying to quickly secure it around his waist.

"What the hell are you doing in here?!" Levi demanded, mortified. Had she seen him naked? She had. She had to have. No way she hadn't.

The redhead blushed brightly, confirming it, and clutched her nightgown to her chest. "_Me?_ What're you doing in the women's showers?!"

"The men's are closed for—"

"I know that. This shower room is still for women only. The showers and toilets on the left side of the building are the ones for men."

One hand holding his towel—he did not want to risk dropping it at any cost—Levi went to grab his clothes from the shelf, feeling thoroughly embarrassed. "I saw the sign on the door," he argued. "The paper definitely said 'Men' on it."

"Well," Petra began hesitantly, "they might have changed which rooms were for who. Actually, when I entered the building I saw one of the instructors put up the last sign and leave. They probably wanted the toilet and shower rooms on the left side reserved for the male soldiers since it's the side the men's barracks are to this building. But he should have knocked on every door and checked to make sure it was empty first before changing the signs in case of...this type of mixup happening."

Levi held his clothes protectively before him. "Can you...?"

Petra turned around to give him privacy.

_Why's it matter now?__ She's already seen the family jewels_. Levi told his internal voice to shut up.

"I'll go make sure no one else comes in," Petra said and fled.

Levi dried and dressed in record time. Petra barged back in just as he finished yanking down his shirt and reached for his neatly folded uniform and towel.

"There's a group of women coming," she cried out in alarm. "You have to hide!"

"Where?!" Levi whipped his head around frantically. There wasn't much room there and everything was in full view.

Petra hurried him to the last stall. "Get in the corner."

Levi hunched his shoulders to squeeze himself into the corner as much as possible, clutching his things to his chest. "What if they see my legs?"

"They won't. You should be hidden unless they come near the front of this stall."

The door opened and female voices filled the room.

_I'm dead! I'm so fucking dead!_ Levi panicked, recognizing a voice that belonged to one of their instructors. Maybe, just maybe, they could have possibly explained his presence as the honest mixup that it was, or even told the girls he and Petra were just making out or something and asked them to keep quiet. But with one of their instructors here, if he was caught in a room full of undressing women...

Levi saw his happy, comfortable life as an MP disappear. _No way! _They couldn't deny him entry into the Military Police over one incident, could they? _But no, for something like this, of course they would_. This wasn't like if he were sneaking around after curfew, or got in a fight, or was found with a bottle of booze. A sympathetic instructor might have let one of those slide. But this? _I'm screwed,_ he thought, stomach sinking. _They'll think I'm some degenerate or pervert or something. _He'd be barred from the MP Brigade if he was caught here.

A voice started coming near his stall. "I'm taking this one," Petra said quickly and politely, blocking the line of sight as he slid low, just in case, not wanting to be seen over her head.

Water started to fall in the second to last stall and Levi's heart jumped. Then Petra's words really registered in his head. She had claimed his stall to ensure no one saw him. But if Petra didn't use it, someone would get curious and see if she could have her turn. Which could only mean one thing. Suddenly, his panic evaporated.

"Turn around," Petra said pointedly, voice low.

Levi stood up and faced the wall. Now his heart pounded for a very different reason. Levi imagined Petra taking off her clothes and placing them on the shelf. He heard the sound of her bare feet touch the cool stone floor. There was a creak and water began to pour. Some of the spray hit his back and he tried to shrink himself into the corner as much as he could, but he resigned himself to getting partially wet regardless.

He pictured Petra all wet and sexy behind him. Imagined the water running down her naked, beautiful skin. It would be all glistening and slippery.

Levi shifted his head to the right just a little. Maybe he could get a tiny, really quick peek. His rational brain told him _No_ and _Don't do it_ and _Stop thinking with your penis_. But how was he not supposed to take a look? When her perfect, naked body was right behind him. _So tempting_. He turned his head a little bit more. He just wanted to be able to get a flash of—

Warm, wet fingers gripped his head and twisted it back in its original position. "Eyes straight ahead, Ackerman," she said sternly.

_Whoops. Busted,_ he thought sheepishly. "What about just a small look?" Levi asked half hopefully.

Petra jabbed two fingers painfully into his side in response.

It felt like both a dream and torture, being so close to his wet, naked, beautiful crush. His dick twitched in response._ Oh no. Don't. Don't think about that_.

Too late. Now he couldn't stop thinking about it. Petra was washing away the day's filth and would be all clean and fresh and smell so good. Her lovely skin would glow and look super soft and touchable. Levi fantasized about squeezing those full curves, eliciting sweet moans from his little red temptress. His blood began to flow down in one direction. No, no, no. He could not get a boner right now. That would only make the situation worse.

Shamelessly, Levi wondered if Petra was even a little aroused by him being within arms reach of her vulnerable and nude body. He licked his lips, imagining grabbing her by the waist and pressing her against the wall, licking up her body. How she'd squirm at his touch, trying to keep her pleasured moans at bay lest she alert the other women. _Stop making yourself hornier, you jackass_.

It was then he heard a voice that successfully killed his growing erection.

_The commander! _Levi thought, frightened, wishing he could melt into the wall. _If she finds me in here she'll rip my balls off!_ He held his breath, too scared to move.

"She's gone," Petra said in relief after Commander Lange took whomever she came for.

He realized Petra would have been in deep shit herself if she were caught with him.

Thankfully, it soon became a lot less noisy, indicating the women were leaving. No new ones were coming in. He was lucky there were only a few dozen trainees staying behind and the rest had left for home already. Otherwise he would have been caught or stuck there for who knows how long—Petra, too, as she would have had to keep him from being discovered by continuing to use the stall.

Footsteps came closer to their stall and a voice asked, "Petra, are you still in there?"

Levi froze in terror. He heard Petra move away. If he was really quick, he could get an eyeful of Petra's body right now. _You stop that this instant_, he scolded himself.

"I'm just really filthy," Petra said to the other girl.

_So am I_. Levi hit his head against the stone wall in an effort to knock the pervy thoughts out of his mind.

Lightning sparked all over his body when he felt Petra come up very close to him. "There's only two of them left," she whispered. Her warm breath causing goosebumps all over his neck. "I'll get dressed and check the hallway.

Levi barely heard her, too busy imagining how close her lips and chest were to his back. "Can I turn around now?" Levi asked and finally left the stall when she confirmed she was dressed.

"All clear out here, too," Petra reported from the door.

Together, they fled the building.

Levi only breathed a sigh of relief once he was at his locker in the men's barracks. "Thanks. If you hadn't found me first, I don't even want to think about it." He stowed away his uniform, changing out of his wet shirt and into a dry one.

"Yeah, that would have been real bad. Well, I have to go now. It'll be curfew soon. Goodnight."

Levi almost stopped her to ask what she thought of his body but Petra was already gone.

That night, Levi finally gave in to temptation. After ensuring his two remaining roommates were sleeping and snoring, he slipped his hand into his pants. Guilty pleasure warmed his blood as he stroked himself, thinking back to the heat of the water and the small space of the shower stall. Except in his fantasy, he was watching as Petra sensuously touched herself as she washed. His breathing and heart quickened at how she'd sigh and moan, saying his name breathlessly.

The orgasm hit him fast and it nearly made his moan. After the pleasure dissipated, shame replaced it. Disgust soon followed. _Damn it_. He hated the gross sticky feeling between his legs. He would not be able to sleep like this. Stifling a groan, Levi left his comfy bunk to go clean himself and change, resolving to buy, like his roommates did, an "emergency" pair of spare socks to keep but not use. Not in the traditional sense anyway.

The following day, as the trainees dined, Levi was about to reach for the last loaf of bread when Petra took it first. "Can I have that?" Levi asked.

"We can share," Petra offered in her usual kind way.

"I think I should at least get a larger half since you saw me naked and I deserve compensation."

And so began his constant and unending demands of restitution for her seeing him in his birthday suit.

Two days later, Levi brought it up again when they were playing cards atop her bunk and Petra had a better hand. The winner would get to have the last piece of pie Nifa gave them. Levi really wanted that slice of pie. "You know, if you let me have this, I'll consider it a small debt paid since you got an eyeful of me the other day."

Another time they were in class and Levi had spaced out at the end, thinking about buying his dog a new chew toy and missing the last leg of the lecture. He pestered Petra for her notes claiming she owed him for seeing him ass-naked.

"Levi!" Petra said in exasperation. "It was _one_ second. Stop annoying me about it."

But it was far too fun to stop. Petra and Oluo would sometimes bicker over old feuds or reminisce about fun memories from their childhood, making him feel left out.

Levi liked that he and Petra now had a secret thing between just the two of them that no one else knew. How could he let it go so easily?

* * *

Today they were once more being tested on the Titan obstacle course. Scores would be based on the speed and accuracy with which they "slew" the Titan dummies. Levi went first.

"Man, Levi sets and breaks all the records."

"No one comes even close to his level."

"Even Oluo who's the second best is so far behind."

"Is he a monster in human form or something?"

All the whispers and praises flew into Levi's ears and though he did feel smug listening to them, there was only one voice that mattered to him. To his irritation, Oluo had somehow managed to bite his tongue and Petra was fussing over him. It honestly amazed him how Oluo hadn't managed to lose his tongue completely yet. Levi had lost count of the number of times Oluo injured himself like this.

"Again?" Levi taunted when he reached his friends. "What kind of an idiot are you?"

"Levi, you're done already?" Petra talked over whatever incoherent nonsense Oluo was trying to say. "Did you beat your previous record again?"

"Yeah," he replied like it was no big deal. She touched his arm and he felt unmoored as she pulled him away.

"Can you help me out with this one tricky maneuver?" Petra requested, sounding embarrassed. "I thought I'd get it by now but I keep messing it up. I got it right when they first taught it to us, but I keep screwing up. So I was wondering if you can watch me and help me out."

"Of course," Levi accepted happily. "We can practice today after dinner if you want." Summer meant longer days so they'd have plenty of sunlight.

"Thanks!"

"Even though you did take a peek at my naked body and—"

Petra groaned. "Will you let that go already?"

A week had passed since the shower incident and he still brought it up. Only he never worked up the courage to ask her what she thought of his naked body. More specifically, his dick. He was too scared of her answer. Every time he came close to asking her he chickened out at the last second. It would murder his self-esteem if she laughed or got awkward or said it was too small or weird.

Come evening, Levi felt a surge of annoyance when Oluo followed Petra into the forest. _What's he doing here?_ Why did the little parasite have to follow her everywhere she went? The two of them already spent so much time together. Only when he and Petra had the classroom lectures could Levi get some alone time with her without Oluo butting in. The rest of the day she spent with a group of friends and Oluo was always around her. _Maybe he's scared,_ Levi thought.

Already he and Petra were good friends despite having only known each other for a year. He liked to think he was getting as close to her as Oluo was. _Bet that's why he's taken to hanging around her all the time_. To prevent Petra from growing more attached to his rival. Or so Levi hoped.

Petra observed the wooden silhouettes with a thick bag on their napes. "You set up the Titan dummies already?"

"Thought it was better not to waste any daylight setting it up when you got here. Now we can get right to it." Levi turned to the unwanted third wheel. "But first, why're you here?"

"Petra mentioned she needed help and since I already mastered that maneuver, I generously offered her my services. She really needs it."

"Oh, shut up." Petra rolled her eyes at Oluo. "No one invited you. Just ignore him, Levi."

"Can you show me how do you it?" Levi requested, referring to the maneuver. He pretended to ignore Oluo's commentary as Oluo picked at Petra's mistakes. But Levi had to admit he was right in finding her flaws.

With a little guidance and some demonstrations, Petra was able to correct herself and execute the maneuver perfectly.

"See? I knew you had it in you. You need to stop getting in your own way." Sometimes Levi had noticed Petra would start second-guessing herself, worry she was wrong and end up failing. "Have more self-confidence. You doubt yourself too much."

"You're probably right," she laughed. "But I just get so anxious. Then I make a mistake and get super critical about myself."

"Can't say I can relate," Oluo said, trying to be cool again.

"Oluo, can you do me a favor?" Petra asked. "I have to get my letter to my father to the administrative building today before it closes so it'll be mailed to him on time. But I really want to shower first. Think you can drop it off for me?"

"Sure thing. His birthday's coming up, right?"

Petra nodded. "Thanks. It's in my bunk." When Oluo left, she turned to him. "Levi, can you go up and check he's gone? I just realized I have to show you something."

Puzzled, he agreed. Firing the hooks of his 3D gear, he landed on a sturdy branch of a nearby tree and saw Oluo leave the forest, wondering what she wanted to show him. "He's gone," Levi said when he returned to the ground. "Petra, where'd you go?"

"Just a minute!" Her voice came from behind a tree.

What was she doing? Levi saw her come out with her brown jacket rolled up, holding it to her chest.

"Here, hold this for a sec." She pushed the bundle into his arms.

"What're you—"

Petra opened her blouse.

She wasn't wearing her sports bra.

The words died in his throat. Levi barely had a chance to take in her breasts in all their glory before she folded her blouse and started buttoning it up. "There. Now we're even." She retrieved her rolled-up jacket from his frozen arms, her sports bra peeking out of it. "And thanks for helping me with the maneuver."

Levi stood there, slack-jawed, even after she left.

* * *

Still in a daze, he lay in bed, replaying that moment over and over. In his head, it was in slow-mo. Levi swallowed. Those perfect mounds with the pink peaks filled his mind. He wished he could have had more than a second to drink in the sight before she had covered herself. It was not fair. She got to see his dick for much longer. He deserved more time to properly appreciate her lovely assets.

_For fuck's sake,_ Levi groaned internally. He had only a day ago stopped feeling the urge to touch himself from the shower incident. It was back full force.

How Petra acted so natural the following morning after flashing him like that Levi had no idea.

She was certainly more daring than him. If the roles had been reversed, he never would have had the courage or self-confidence to do what she did. And if he had by some chance, he wouldn't have been able to face her without getting embarrassed or self-conscious. Yet she spent the entire day acting like nothing happened. He wasn't as subtle, though, and she caught him staring at her a few times. But she never said anything and he'd hastily look away.

Petra came to stand beside him, rolling up her sleeves, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"You don't have kitchen duty with me," he said, soapy sponge and plate in his hands.

"Caitlin wasn't feeling well so I offered to take her place. You wash, I'll dry." She nodded to the pile of dishes he'd already scrubbed.

Levi started rinsing the plate, trying to work up the courage. "I didn't expect you to do that." He didn't have to clarify what he was referring to.

Petra smiled, obviously pleased with herself. "I know. Since it seemed to bother you so much that I saw your private parts, I thought I should make it even and show you mine."

"I _only_ got to see your tits," Levi corrected. "You got a full-frontal from me. I would hardly call that even."

"It was a very nice view."

He almost dropped the cup he was washing. Was she flirting with him? Or was she just teasing him? _Does she like my dick?_ Levi thought excitedly. "Could've at least given me more time to take them in."

"You got the same amount of time I did."

"You got half a second longer. Besides, you saw more of my body so I should get more time. That's only fair."

"Mmm. Maybe. Do you want to see them now?"

Levi dropped the bowl this time.

"Just kidding."

"Since when did you turn into such a tease?"

"There you are," Oluo interrupted, coming to stand beside Petra.

_Cock blocker back at it again_. Levi wondered how he knew where Petra was. _Probably went around looking for her like a lost puppy_. Would it kill Oluo to give them some alone time? Possibly. Probably. He could only imagine how painful it was, having your crush hang out with another guy who you knew was also interested in her.

"There you all are," Nifa said, joining them. "I'm hurt no one invited me."

Petra assured her they weren't hanging out without her, then promptly ditched him and Oluo to hang out with Nifa instead.

"I can't believe I got roped into this," Oluo grumbled, taking over Petra's job of drying the dishes. "But I just can't say no to her."

"I'm sure she doesn't have the same problem with you."

"You're a shiny, pretty new thing that's caught her eye. That's all. Don't let it go to your head and think it's more than it is. What we have is deeper than that."

Levi considered ways to casually bring up the fact he and Petra had seen each other naked. Well, maybe "naked" was a bit of an exaggeration on his end. He'd only seen her breasts—her glorious, perfect breasts—so naked was kind of a stretch. Technically though, he had seen her bare arms and legs and abs in her workout clothes, so if all of that was combined together he had seen most of her body. By rounding up, one could say it was not an entirely false statement. _You are such an idiot_, he thought when he was done with the mental gymnastics.

"...think that but it won't work," Oluo declared, done with his speech.

"Huh?"

"Stop doing that! I know you hear what I say," Oluo accused, flustered. "But you always pretend you don't so you can act all cool!"

"Sorry." Levi shrugged. "I really didn't hear a word you said. My mind was elsewhere."

"Then hear me now: Petra does not like you. You won't have her. I'm going to win her over and marry her one day. We have a history of friendship together and we will share our future too as husband and wife—she already nags me like one. Our families also already approve of each other. Do you really think you can come between us?"

"No," Levi responded calmly. "I don't think I can come between you two. Because for that to happen Petra first has to be part of the equation. Which she's not. It's clear that between the two of you, you're the only one who has developed romantic feelings."

"We'll see about that."

"Is that a challenge?"

"It's a promise."

They finished the rest of the dishes in silence.

Levi deliberately moved slowly to let Oluo get ahead as they returned to the men's barracks. He couldn't deny the stinging truth of Oluo's words. He and Petra did have a strong basis with their friendship. Her father liked him, too. He might even have started picturing Oluo as his potential son-in-law already. _Is there anything of substance between us?_ Was he just deluding himself? Seeing something more between his and Petra's interactions? All Levi had to show for was their borderline flirtations. At the end of the day, what she and Oluo had was stronger.

_Don't get into your own head_, he told himself. Until Petra said so herself, there was no way of knowing if she felt anything romantic for either one of them.

But if she started liking them both, it would suck but he would stop chasing after her. No matter how much Levi liked Petra, he was not going to play that game, getting caught in some moronic love triangle. He had far too much self-respect to try and win the affections of a woman who couldn't choose between two men. There was no way he was putting himself through such grief and bullshit.

Unless she gave any indication she liked Oluo in a romantic way, though, Levi would hold on to his feelings and pursue her. He wasn't about to let her go without putting up a fight.

* * *

**_Please Review~_**


	9. Midnight Swim

**Chapter 9: Midnight Swim **

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin

**Previously**: Petra helps Levi hide when he accidentally uses the women's showers. She shows him her breasts to make it even for seeing him naked. Levi and Oluo have a talk about Petra.

* * *

Someone came to stand by Levi's bunk. Pausing in cleaning his switchblade, he sat up when he noticed who it was. "Petra, what're you doing here?"

She nudged him to scoot over, crawling on the mattress so they could sit side by side, backs against the wall. "Where's Oluo?" Petra asked.

"Probably showering."

She leaned in, speaking quietly. "I want to talk to you guys about something."

Levi's mind was scrambling. Her presence in his private space and her face so close to his was making it difficult to think clearly. "Talk about what?"

"You know that pond in the forest about a mile from here? The one you can see when you look over from the cliff? Nifa and I are going to swim there in three days from today at midnight. It'll be a full moon then."

"Why?"

"Cause we thought it'd be fun. And since it's so warm during the day, by nighttime the water should be a nice even temperature for a late-night swim."

"I don't know," he said, unsure.

"We won't get caught."

"I'm fine, thanks."

"Really? Okay." Petra didn't push him but the disappointment was clear.

Levi badly wanted to go with them. A moonlight swim with Petra? Of course he wanted to do it. Sure they wouldn't be alone, but still. He cherished every moment he got to be with her. Only issue was he didn't know how to swim. And if Oluo found out, there was no way he was letting Levi live that down. _Maybe I can just go hang out with them_. The excuse of "I don't want to get sick" might be lame but it might work.

"Oluo," Petra said, leaving his bunk before Levi had a chance to tell her he changed his mind. "I gotta ask you something. You wanna go for a swim?" She waved him down and whispered the time and location to him.

"Sounds like fun. Count me in!"

_Do I really want to join them?_ Levi wondered skeptically. He couldn't imagine it would be very fun to sit on the sidelines while they played and swam and had a good time in the water. No point in him being there if all he was going to do was sit there and watch them in jealousy as they enjoyed themselves.

The next day, the three of them talked about it constantly.

Levi had long since stopped sitting by himself—he hadn't even known when. Just one day he realized he was scanning the room to find his group instead of a semi-secluded spot.

They kept talking about the midnight swim. It made him feel left out. He was right there but he wasn't a part of the conversation. He knew they weren't doing it to be mean. They were just excited and caught up in making plans. It made him want to join them. _But_ _I don't want to hang out by myself on the side like some loser, _he thought unhappily. It was too embarrassing.

Was there a manual or something he could read that would teach him how to swim? Could he master swimming in a couple of days? He was an extraordinarily fast learner when it came to physical activities. Though he was still hesitant to teach himself without someone there to watch over him. What if he drowned? _Kenny, you annoying old goat, you pounded strategy and fighting techniques into my head but couldn't teach me how to swim? _In all fairness, it wasn't like drowning was exactly a big concern in the Underground.

A few hours later, Levi resolved to learn how to swim after a certain conversation between Oluo and Nifa. His habit of perching high in trees had him accidentally overhear their conversation.

"Nifa, can I talk to you?" Oluo stopped her as they were heading deeper into the forest, most likely to practice their maneuvers on the Titan dummies.

"What's up?"

Oluo fumbled to explain. "So, uh, about the midnight swim. Do you think you could maybe, uh..."

"You want me to leave early so you can have alone time with Petra?" Nifa guessed wisely.

Levi narrowed his eyes.

"Yeah. Sorry. I don't mean to kick you out or get rid of you—"

"It's okay. I don't mind. I'll just say I'm getting a headache or something and leave."

"Thanks, Nifa," Oluo said in relief. "You're the best!"

"Are you going to tell Petra how you feel?"

"N-No. I just... We haven't really been able to hang out, just the two of us, for a long time now. I think the last time was before we joined the Training Corps. She's either with Levi when they have class together, or we're all together in a group. Even when the two of us finally have some time alone, she'll talk about Levi and it's still like he's there between us."

Levi perked up. _She talks about me? _

"They are close," Nifa agreed. "Are you going to ask her how she feels about him, then? If you don't plan on telling her that you like her."

"I don't know. Maybe. But I don't want her mind going to Levi again. So maybe I _should_ tell her," Oluo said contemplatively. "Who do you think she likes?"

Levi was greatly interested in Nifa's answer himself. She was the closest to Petra after him and Oluo. And she was a girl. Petra might have shared certain things with her that she wouldn't have with him and Oluo. Nifa could have useful insight.

"She likes both of you. But romantically? I don't know. She only talked like that a few times about a guy she kissed last year. But it wasn't anything serious. Right now I don't know her heart."

Once Oluo and Nifa left, Levi went off in search of his crush.

Petra was cleaning and oiling her rifle when he found her. Free time was frowned upon by the commander. As far as Commander Lange was concerned, there was always something they could be doing. Only on their days off were they allowed to laze around and slack off. The rest of the time even if they didn't have duties or chores or drills, they had to be doing something that would contribute to their military careers. Anything less was unacceptable.

"Petra, can we talk?" Levi came to stand next to her. "I wanted to ask you something."

"Go ahead."

There were half a dozen or so trainees in the room standing at other tables. They were cleaning their weapons and chatting. Lowering his voice, Levi asked. "Can you teach me how to swim?"

"Is that why you said no?" Petra asked in surprise. "You really don't know how to swim? You, Levi Ackerman?"

"I was never taught."

"Won't Oluo be thrilled to find out you aren't Mr. Perfect after all?"

"I never said I was. And can you not tell him? He'll never shut up about it. Never."

Petra chuckled at the thought of it. "That could be entertaining."

"You know he's a one-trick pony. Watch it be the same lame joke every single time."

"Good point," she conceded. "Then again, you do beat him at everything else. And I mean everything. I kind of feel like he should be allowed to have this one thing."

Despite what she said, he knew she'd honor his request and never reveal it if he asked her. "Please, Petra," he said and that was all it took.

"I won't tell. When do you want to start?"

"What about tonight? It'll be a full moon tonight, too." Levi felt nervous excitement at the thought of sneaking out with Petra after dark. To be alone with her under the moonlight and get the pleasure of her uninterrupted company. "If you're okay with breaking curfew."

"Why not during the day?"

"Someone might see us."

"I don't mind teaching you tonight. But we'll have very little time if it's at night."

"I know I can pick it up quickly," Levi replied confidentially. "Just on the off chance I can't, it seems stupid not to have someone around to save me from drowning."

"You are ridiculously good at picking up anything physical. Okay, tonight it is. We'll give it an hour after curfew. Come meet me behind the women's barracks."

* * *

Instead of moving the curtain aside and risk making noise, Levi quietly rolled out of his bunk and under the curtain. He left his boots by his bunk and went to his locker, grabbing his civilian shoes and a jacket. When he stepped out, he realized the jacket was unnecessary. It was only slightly cooler outside than the inside of the barrack. He probably could have done without the jacket. But he decided to keep it on. After their lesson, the walk back to the barracks while soaking wet might be a chilly one.

Petra was waiting for him when he arrived behind her building. Her voice was low when she said, "Ready?"

He nodded. "Let's go."

When they were hidden by the trees in the forest, they started talking casually, no longer fearing being seen or overheard.

Petra laughed giddily. "I can't believe I'm actually doing this."

"Wasn't it your idea to go swimming?"

"Nifa and I both kind of talked ourselves into it. Neither of us is really the rule-breaking type, as you know. Compared to sneaking in alcohol and getting drunk, this seemed easy and not too horrible. But we were still too chicken to do it alone."

"Good choice," Levi said when they reached their destination.

The view was breathtaking. Bright and luminous, the full moon was surrounded by an expanse of twinkling stars. The branches and leaves of the trees stirred softly in the wind. An owl hooted in the distance. In the large clearing was the pond. Deep and blue, its water shone and reflected the glowing silver moon. Everything was quiet around them except for the sounds of nature.

They walked across the wooden jetty and removed their jackets. Levi felt his breath leave him when Petra began to strip. She was in her black workout shorts and a pink sports bra. It was nothing he hadn't seen before. But the act of stripping made it a lot more intimate.

Together, they sat down, him in his green boxers, feet in the pond. The water was warm at surface level and cool below.

"Perfect," she sighed.

_You are_, he wanted to blurt out like some lovesick fool.

Petra slipped into the water first. "We'll start with floating. It's pretty simple." She touched his legs and tugged. "Come closer," she instructed. He perched at the edge of the jetty, legs more submerged in the water, and she guided him. "This is how the motion goes. Keep your knees a little bent."

Levi tried to stay focused on what she was teaching him rather than her hands touching his calves.

"Stay calm and relaxed and let your legs sink. If you start _to_ sink, kick your feet only a little. And have your arms spread out like this" —she made an almost T-shape, elbows bent— "to increase your buoyancy. Gentle breathing is also good."

He memorized it and repeated it back to her after a minute.

"Get in," she invited, opening her arms.

"Don't let me drown. Or I'll haunt your ass."

Even the fear of drowning could not distract him from enjoying his proximity to Petra, holding her. He loved the softness of her breasts and the ridges of her abs as he clung to her. Sometimes his cheeks would brush her silky hair and he'd feel the urge to pet it.

"Are you ready to try it yourself?"

Levi didn't want to let her go—both out of a sense of nervousness and because he liked having her in his arms—but he loosened his grip. "I'll give it a shot," he said reluctantly. A part of him wanted frantically to hold her, clinging to her and squashing her against his chest, but he ignored it. He trusted her to keep him from drowning. Levi took a deep breath and let his legs sink.

Knees bent. Breathing calmly. Arms spread out.

"You're doing it!"

"This isn't so hard," Levi admitted. It was kind of fun. Then he felt himself sink and kicked his legs without thinking, making himself wobble before calming down.

"I got you." Petra clutched his hand with both of hers and he realized he'd reached out for her.

Levi didn't let go of her. He did have a valid excuse for keeping holding. "I think I got floating down. Should we move on to the actual swimming part?"

"Let me show you a cool trick first." She grinned and came closer to him. Petra put her hands together and twisted her fingers. When she moved her thumbs, a bit of water squirted out and hit him in the chest. She laughed in delight. "This used to drive the kids in the neighborhood crazy. They couldn't figure how I did it caused I'd do it so fast."

"I have a better trick." With a sly smile, Levi cut his hand across the water and sent it flying at Petra.

"Levi!" She gasped. "You didn't!" Petra began slapping the water with both hands to splash him. "No," she cried out when he retaliated. "Don't get my hair wet!"

They were laughing and smacking their hands against the water when he realized how close she was to him. Suddenly, he realized his arms were on hers, trying to keep her from splashing him. Petra laughed, attempting to wiggle free.

Was it the moonlight? Or that they were alone at this beautiful secluded spot? Having fun and enjoying each other's company? Maybe a combination of all three. Levi didn't know. Or care.

Without thinking, he leaned in and kissed her.

It was quick and light and sent his heart racing.

Petra stared at him with her large, doe-like eyes.

_Ah, fuck this,_ Levi thought, throwing caution to the wind. He'd already moved on impulse once. Might as well go all in. Levi leaned in for another kiss, moving his hands to her face. This one was longer and deliberate. There was no way she could mistake this for just a heat of the moment kiss.

Levi felt her hands rest on his shoulders before wounding around his neck as she kissed him back.

His heart soared in his chest and he felt a surge of delirious joy. Levi followed his instincts and tilted her head, kissing her at a better angle. He liked how she tasted. She felt so soft and hard and good. _Her lips are touching mine, _he thought in are, and embarrassingly it sent his heart aflutter.

A moan escaped him as her mouth moved against his. He tightened his hold on her. Levi bit her lip gently and she inhaled sharply. He could have kissed her there under the quiet moonlight forever.

But she started to pull away.

"No," the word escaped him in a gentle and wanting whimper. His lips sought hers again. Just one more kiss. Just one more. This was everything he'd wanted since he first saw her. It was more than he could have hoped for or dreamed about. Touching her sent lightning across his skin and felt better than all his fantasies. This was not enough. He needed just a little more.

"No...Levi...I... We shouldn't." Yet she kept pouting her lips when he kissed her. But she wouldn't allow him to kiss her fully.

"Petra," he almost whined when she half-heartedly resisted his kisses. She needed to make up her mind. He wanted to keep kissing her until he ran out of breath.

"No," Petra said firmly, placing her hand on his face. "Stop ruining my resolve." She kept her hand planted there. "You're way too tempting for your own good."

Levi removed her hand from his face and kissed her palm. She sighed so dreamily he wanted to capture her mouth again. "Why shouldn't we?" Levi asked. She had kissed him back just as enthusiastically. She'd clung to him and felt that spark, too, he just knew she did.

"It's a distraction. I have a goal I want to achieve and this, the Training Corps, is the first step. I want to rank in the top ten and I can't afford to get distracted by you."

Levi wanted to argue but he couldn't. He had a goal, too. He wanted to make it into the Military Police at all costs. Often times, though, when he should have been focused on the task at hand, his mind would wander to Petra instead. He could only imagine how much more she would come to dominate his thoughts if they started dating.

"I know you also have your own goal," Petra continued. "Our first focus should be getting in a position where we can achieve what we want. Everything else, like this," she said, touching his lips and he kissed her fingertips, "all this can come after."

Though he found himself agreeing with her, Levi half-heartedly felt compelled to argue. "We could still do it. Maybe we could try."

"We could but..."

Levi knew what she was attempting to say but having a hard time figuring out how best to put into words without hurting his feelings. He sighed and relented. "You gotta put yourself first and secure your own future. Everything else can come after, like you said. Trust me, I get it." Flashes of his poverty-stricken childhood appeared in his mind. He longed for a secure future, a good job, and a comfortable life more than anything. "Romance we'll have time for for the rest of our lives. But this time is critical to ensure we secure a good life for ourselves." As wonderful as it was to have someone to rely on, to share your life and joys and burdens with, Levi knew you always, _always_ needed to be able to rely on yourself first and foremost.

"Thank you," Petra said in relief.

"Yeah, yeah," he replied unenthusiastically.

"Really. I'm so happy you understand where I'm coming from. I know you're not agreeing with me just because you like me. You _get_ it." She caressed his cheek with the hand he kept pressed against his face. "I don't have to worry about some lecture about how great love is and putting in the effort and all that crap. As much as the idea of being loved and being in love delights me, I much prefer practicality, especially in our current situation. So I appreciate not being guilted or convinced against what I know I want."

"But you do like me." Levi wanted to know. To hear her say it out loud. He, too, wanted to first take care of his future like she did, and it would be easy to hold off until graduation if she felt the same way about him as he did her.

Petra began to mumble, a lovely blush coloring her cheeks. "You do...interest me...you know...in that way..."

"Romantically?"

She looked away shyly. "_Yes,_" she said, very embarrassed. "I like you in a more than friends, very non-platonic, and romantic way. Happy?"

"That's all I needed," he said, satisfied. To know the jolt of thrill he felt when their skin made contact was shared by her made touching her even more pleasurable. "Can I get one more kiss?" She hesitated, debating. "Please? Just one more," he begged, brushing her lips with his thumb.

"It's a slippery slope, Levi."

"I won't want more," he promised. He'd desire it, certainly. But wouldn't try to tempt her. Probably. Maybe.

"But I might."

That was a rejection he'd happily accept. "Fine," he gave in, albeit with some reluctance. "So, are you going to teach me how to actually swim or what?"

Time spent with her was even more enjoyable now, knowing his attraction to her was mutual, and his feelings were reciprocated. It made him so giddy._ For now, this is enough_.

But Levi didn't miss the chance to brush his skin against hers every chance he got. Or shower her with compliments and make her get all embarrassed and cute.

When they returned to the barracks, Petra stopped him, calling out his name softly.

He stopped, watching her consider something. Then she ran up to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Goodnight," she said, smiling before leaving.

* * *

The following night when they returned to the pond, this time with Oluo and Nifa, he and Petra exchanged secret smiles. Another secret thing just between them.

Her confession about finding him romantically appealing made it easier to ignore Oluo's attempts at catching her attention. Levi was starting to think she was genuinely blind to Oluo's affections for her, probably thinking he was teasing her or being friendly. Levi wondered if he should point out Oluo's feelings for her. But Petra had no interest in Oluo so Levi was content to let them figure it out themselves. He saw no point in sticking his nose between two old friends and potentially ruining things between them. It was their business and they'd handle it.

His relaxed attitude with Oluo's pursuit of Petra didn't mean he would let Oluo have time alone with her, though, so he could charm her. Additionally, the pond now held a special meaning to him and Levi wasn't about to let it be sullied by Oluo's attempt at trying to have a moment with Petra.

"Can we go back?" Levi asked Petra while Oluo raced against Nifa to see who was the better swimmer. "This place is ours. And while I like them—don't you dare tell _him_ that—I don't want them here." He felt oddly possessive. _This place is ours. Mine and Petra's. _

"I feel the same."

During the day, Levi would often come to sit at the edge of the tall cliff overlooking the clearing with the pond. The view and the fresh air was relaxing. Also relaxing were the sweet memories he had attached to the pond below and often replayed. He couldn't wait until graduation. Just two more years. Then his life would truly begin.

Levi wanted to get to that warm and cozy future as soon as possible. He daydreamed about how his life would look ten years down the road: he was going to be a high-ranking, well paid, and respected MP. He would live in a beautiful, spacious house filled with delicious food and sunlight. Next, Levi imagined a wife for himself with shiny red hair, a glowing face, and a wonderfully round belly. Levi smiled to himself, hearing the sound of childish laughter and small hands reaching for and playing with Rascal, who wagged her tail rapidly.

_That's enough now, _he thought, getting out of his daydream._ Don't get ahead of yourself_. Levi stood and made his way back to camp, spending the entire time trying to force the happy smile off his face.

Levi didn't have any grand ambitions. Some might consider getting into the MPs grand but considering his abilities and dedication to learning and training, it wasn't hard like he'd feared it would be. All he wanted was to be an MP with an easy life that he could share with a wonderful woman and maybe have a couple of kids with her. Still, he needed to focus on the now if he wanted to get to that future. _You can't get complacent and distracted, otherwise you could end up failing_. He'd seen plenty of examples of fellow trainees who let their heads get clouded by romance and their performances suffered as a result. How well he did now would set the foundation for the rest of his life._ Can't fuck this up_. It was only for two years. Then he could romance Petra as much as he wanted. That made him smile again.

In the mess hall, the trainees had gathered for dinner and he went to sit with Oluo. "Where're the girls?" Levi asked, noting the missing redheads.

In response, Oluo rolled his eyes. He jerked his thumb over to where a group had gathered around a table to Oluo's lower right. "Over there," he said.

"What's going on there?"

"An arm-wrestling contest. You know that guy Lukas? He's beating everyone who challenges him and they started making bets using money and food. So now there's a nice little stash going and people keep challenging him to get their hands on the loot."

"I'm surprised you're not over there yourself."

"I'm above such immaturity," Oluo said dismissively, shrugging.

Levi didn't buy it for a second. "Uh-huh."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're just scared you'll lose, aren't you?"

Oluo opened his mouth to retort then closed it. "Hey, Lukas," he turned and yelled to the crowd, "I bet my man Levi here can beat you any day."

Lukas stood and said cockily, "Is that so?"

"Leave me out of this," Levi said, not looking up from his food. "I'm hungry and I just want to eat."

"Feeling scared, Ackerman? Don't want everyone here to know you're not good at everything, Golden-Boy?"

Oluo snickered and Levi winced, embarrassed. "Can you not call me that?"

"What're you going to do about it, Tiny?" Lukas taunted, visibly fueled by the babbling of the trainees around him.

Levi ignored him.

"Hah! I knew it. He's too scared, the little chicken."

"He's not scared," Petra came to his defense.

"What about you, Petra? Wanna give it a shot? But if I win you have to be my girlfriend and I get to kiss you in front of everyone."

Levi set his glass down loudly. "On second thought, I won't be able to enjoy my meal in peace with you yammering away like some braying donkey."

Everyone gathered around in anticipation.

The biggest meathead of the 97th Training Corps vs. the (unofficial) first ranker.

"Hell yeah, this'll be good."

"It'll be a fair contest now."

"I don't know about _fair._"

"Look how big Lukas is. Levi doesn't stand a chance."

Money and food were whipped out and bets were placed.

"My money's on Levi!"

"Nah, Lukas is clearly gonna win. Just look at those muscles!"

"There's no way Levi's winning this."

"I'm with you, too. Put me down for Lukas."

Levi knew they'd be clamoring his name if this were a contest of skill, not brute strength. Lukas towered over him and probably also had a good forty pounds on him. Levi's physique was also rather slight compared to Lukas's stocky one. In a contest of pure physical strength, it was obvious who would come out on top. Obvious to those who didn't know the true depth of his strength. Levi had kept it on the down-low. Not even Oluo, who sparred with him regularly, could gauge just how much raw physical power he had.

His opponent's enormous hand wrapped around Levi's smaller one.

"Ready?" A brown-haired trainee placed her hands on theirs. "Go!"

Levi slammed his opponent's hand on the table. "There. I win."

"W-Wait!" Lukas spluttered as the trainees let out shocked exclamations. "I wasn't ready!"

"Fine. One more time." Levi let the other boy sweat this time. Lukas was trying so hard that his face turned red but Levi barely budged. Casually, Levi started pushing against the massive hand, forcing it down little by little.

"Whoa!"

"He's beating him!"

"Go, Levi!"

"C'mon, Lukas, you can do it!"

Veins bulged in Lukas's neck but it was useless. The crowd erupted in groans and yells of triumphant when Levi won again.

"Yes! Pay up!"

"Aw, man!"

"There goes the money I was saving to buy a new dress."

Levi stood and said smugly, "I'll be taking my winnings, thanks." Petra, Nifa, and Oluo helped take the extra food over to their table, congratulating him while Levi stuffed his pockets with the cash. He pushed some food toward Petra. "You can have that."

She smiled warmly and sweetly at his gesture. "Thanks."

Not to look like he was giving her special treatment, he distributed the food between the four of them equally.

"Tonight we feast," Nifa said cheerfully.

"Don't mind if I do," Oluo said, helping himself to a loaf of bread.

Levi's eyes landed briefly on Petra's lips. He remembered how they felt and tasted. She caught him staring, a knowing look in her eyes. Was she thinking about that dreamy kiss, too?

_This is nice._ Levi thought, listening to his friends babble.

As much as he anticipated graduation, he decided he was going to miss his trainee days. They didn't have any real responsibilities yet and could enjoy themselves without too much worry.

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